To help the men and women serving overseas feel supported throughout deployment, Brandon Dutkiewicz, a local Army Veteran created Support A Troop, a mobile app that allows users to sponsor a Deployed military member by sending a care package. Deployed troops log onto the app, make a profile, and create a registry of needed items. These can range from toothpaste and granola bars to fitness equipment and supplements. All items on the wish list are very inexpensive, allowing greater flexibility for those interested in giving back.
To send a package, users simply scroll through the available profiles and choose the troop they wish to support. Once a care package is sent, the military members who received the donation can take a photo of themselves and the materials to share with the donor in-app. Support A Troop also gives users the option to donate to military dogs, as well.
“I was deployed to multiple war-torn areas throughout Afghanistan. While there, my battle buddies and I faced a major problem. We had no one to support us back home, which made many of us feel forgotten and depressed,” said Dutkiewicz. “When I left the military, I decided to build Support A Troop to help bridge the gap between deployed troops and people who want to support them.”
In addition to helping boost morale amongst troops, Dutkiewicz created the free mobile app to make sure that military personnel were receiving the items that were needed most. While there are many organizations that send care packages overseas, as well as soldiers’ friends and family, Dutkiewicz noticed that a lot of the items accepted were being thrown away due to a surplus of similar products. The registries created within Support A Troop help active military members more clearly communicate the products they want or need, specific to their journey.
“Health and wellness is a large part of the military culture, so users will see a lot of fitness related items on the app. Those deployed spend a lot of time exercising and its common for members to spend their money on yoga mats, protein powder, or workout supplements,” said Dutkiewicz. “Supporting their lifestyle while overseas is very meaningful to our troops.”
On top of sending care packages, Support A Troop also allows users to sign up to become a $1 Member Donor. All monthly donations go directly to the non-profit organization iSupport Deployed Troops, Inc. Additional features will be rolled out in the future to continue enhancing user experience and increase the connection between troops and donors.
Support A Troop is available to download for free on Google Play and Apple’s App Store. For those interested in sponsoring a military member or for additional information about Support A Troop’s mission, visit https://supportatroop.com/ and https://supportatroop.com/links
