Brooksville Army vet develops app to create customized care packages for deployed service members

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - When Brooksville resident Brandon Dutkiewicz was deployed in the Middle East, he realized there was a problem that needed to be solved stateside.

"I noticed many care packages were being thrown away," he said. "And that made me and my battle buddies feeling a little left out."

With a surplus of similar gifts – care packages were finding their way to the trash instead of the troops.

"I’d see hundreds of them being thrown away, and it made me feel that it could be organized better," he stated.

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Fast-forward a few years – Dutkiewicz left the Army and returned to the Middle East with a plan to create an app that could customize the care packages for every service member.

"I flew myself back to Afghanistan as a contractor so I could work alongside these deployed troops and I could collect their own wish lists and I’d get them sent things just off a GoFundMe," he said.

It was the framework for his app, Support A Troop, which launched in December 2020.

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"A deployed troop can create a profile and in the profile they can create a wish list," he explained. "Anything from books to protein powder, even a yoga mat."

The service man or woman can then send a thank you right back to their patriot through the app. Once a care package item is purchased, the app works alongside Amazon to deliver packages within two to three weeks.

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Since its launch, Support A Troop has sent more than 3700 care packages. Dutkiewicz says he hopes to one day say every troop is taken care of.

"That’s my main mission, is to spread love and patriotism and make sure everyone gets a care package. Because they all deserve one."

LINKS: Learn more about Support A Troops at https://supportatroop.com.