A check presented to Support Our Troops®TAMPA, recently – Mike Howe, the co-owner of Tampa Humidor, a cigar shop in Tampa, noticed something interesting about sales at his store. In addition to the regular customers around the area, he was getting a lot of troops - former servicemen and women, and veterans of recent wars and military service persons. In fact, so many service members were coming into the store and buying cigars online that he decided to memorialize them. "They're a part of our customer base," he said, "We have a lot of current and ex-military folks and customers. We get a lot of pictures from guys that are on active duty - flags and stuff too - so we put those up on the wall. We call it the wall of honor." The interactions with these men and women spurred Howe to do something more than just put up pictures.
He wanted to get involved, and show how supporting these men and women is crucial. "I think that what these guys and gals do is very important. They're protecting our country," he said. "We have to support them. They're putting their lives on the line every day." After some research, Howe found Support Our Troops®, and decided to put on a charity golf tournament to raise money.
"We do a lot with shipping cigars to military folks," he said. "We found Support Our Troops® and thought it was great. We were super impressed with the amount of money that went to the troops. Every week, we ship out cigars and send packages. We have a strong tie to the military." This was the second year of the tournament, and they raised $7,000 for the organization. Overall, he said he's raised $25,000 over two years.
The event was so successful that he has plans to continue as long as he can. When people realize the cause, he said, they're quick to sign up and help. "We had about 120 golfers this year," he said. "We get a lot of support from cigar manufacturers. They donate cigars and raffle prizes - it's a collaborative effort." In addition to the tournament, Howe also enjoys knowing that his cigars can provide soldiers with a little bit of relief when they're deployed. "I get emails from a lot of (troops)," he said. "A lot of these bases in Afghanistan, they create their own cigar clubs. It's a refuge for them. They can sit back and forget what's going on around them. I think there's a lot of people who do that. They kick back and have a cigar and forget where they are for a little while." Tampa Humidor is a family owned business, and Howe said he'll continue to support the troops no matter what. "You got to pay it forward," he said.
Tampa Humidor is just one of the many organizations that supports our organization. Recently, Red Robin collected $6,500 in donations. Want to learn more about how to help the troops? Click here to donate and show your support for the brave men and women soldiers serving our country. Please consider reaching out to us.
About Support Our Troops
Support Our Troops® is America’s Military Charity. We enhance the morale & well-being of the troops and their families worldwide. Our programs provide millions of dollars’ worth of care goods and services including family assistance, kid’s camp assistance, positive public support and more at hundreds of locations around the globe.