Sometimes a cigar is a lifesaver that only you can give
It’s been one of those “you just can’t make this **** up” days. But instead of fighting with your teen, battling a boss or weaving through construction, you’ve just survived a mortar blast.
Can you understand why settling back with a cigar takes on even more importance for the servicemen and women in combat? A long pull on a really good cigar provides a bit of calm amid a chaotic war zone. It’s bonding time. Stress relief. Throw back to home.
Premium cigars are the second most requested item by members of our armed forces, according to the nonprofit organization Operation: Cigars for Warriors (CFW). Coffee is number one. (Guess you need a good ol’ jolt of java before relaxing with a smoke.) But CFW leaves caffeine to other charitable groups. Founded in 2012, CFW’s top priority is collecting then distributing premium cigars and accessories to U.S. servicemen and servicewomen serving in combat zones. Secondly, CFW ships cigar donations to long term deployed troops and those on floats.
“We have sent cigars to warships as well. One shipment went to a Navy ship in North Korea,” Jamie Lemon, CFW’s Public Relations/Marketing Director said. Because of the number of requests, CFW’s prefers to ship one care package per troop.
“If troops are being deployed to different regions we sometimes ship multiple care packages to the same troops. So if squads quickly reposition themselves to respond to challenges in the field, at least the cigars go with them.”
Annually, CFW serves about 25,000 service people. Since its inception, the cigar charity has shipped in excess of 1.7 million cigars. [HOW MUCH DO THEY SPEND ANNUALLY ON SHIPPING & HANDLING?] Where do the donations come from? Cigar aficionados, cigar makers and cigar retailers.
“We have been supporting our troops for over 12+ years, sending them cigars wherever they are in the world to enjoy at the end of a hard day fighting for our country. We hope you can get involved by donating cigars, funds, or volunteering. ”
–Storm Boen, CEO Cigars For Warriors
“It is important downtime for our military members to have to forget about combat and death for that moment, and clear their minds.” – Jim Mitchem, U.S. Army Chaplain
Boveda goes to combat to defend against the enemy of cigars
Boveda was CFW’s first sponsor and is always there to protect CFW shipments as they make their way all over the world. No matter how combative the environment, Boveda’s 2-way humidity control adds and absorbs moisture to lock in a precise 69% RH that’s perfect for cigars. (If Boveda can safeguard cigars in the arid desert or the humid high seas, your home humidor is safe and sound.)
“CFW reached out to us about more than a decade ago to see if they could buy Boveda at a discount. Boveda was critical to get their cigar shipments across the globe in perfect condition, but the cost was getting too high as CFW’s cigar donations were increasing,” Tim Swail, Executive Vice President of Sales, said.
“Once we learned about CFW’s mission, we GAVE them as much free Boveda as they needed instead of just giving them a discount. An organization that supports soldiers who go to work every day defending the freedom and liberty of the U.S. is not going to pay for Boveda when a cigar at the end of the day might be the closest connection they have to normalcy.”
Warriors wait for orders because of FDA ruling
Since August 2016, U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations have prohibited the cigar industry from the decades-long tradition of donating cigars to troops, which would classify as a “free sample.” Previously, more than 30 cigar makers have been on board to donate cigars, including Rocky Patel, Moscato, and Oliva.
“The FDA ban on manufacturers cut our supply roughly 80%,” Robert Allan, CFW Director of Logistics said. But the ban hasn’t decreased the demand, according to Allan. “There are times our military has waited months for a shipment. Right now we are at an eight week shipping delay or longer.”
Some U.S. legislators are seeking an exemption for corporate military cigar donations. U.S. Representative Kathy Castor, Democrat-Florida, District 14 113th-119th, introduced the Restore Charitable Contributions of Premium Cigars to the Troops Act of 2016. that would allow for donations to the troops, according to Congress.gov, the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. U.S. Representative Mark E. Amodei, Republican-Nevada District 2 co-sponsored the bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow the charitable distribution of traditional large and premium cigars to members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. Stalled in committee since 2016, the corporate cigar donation bill has yet to yield any results.
Thanks to donations from cigar smokers like you, CFW has provided more than 1.7 million cigars to military members since 2012.
It’s your time to serve—give now
In the meantime, the FDA ruling does not prevent individuals from donating cigars to the troops. And that’s where Boveda customers like you come in. Boveda is reaching out to every cigar lover out there. Next time you add to your own cigar collection, share a cigar (or box) with a man or woman fighting for our freedom.
CFW is a 501 (c) (3) charity, so your donation is tax deductible. There are three ways to give:
- Dip into your humidor for a few favorite sticks and send cigars directly to CFW at: 8585 SW Hwy 200 Unit #16, Ocala, FL 34481, Attention: Cigars For Warriors
- Drop off cigars at a CFW event or center near you—many of which are in smoke shops, where you can also buy a box of smokes and leave it there.
– Find a CFW donation center
– Follow CFW on Instagram for dates and times of to find an upcoming CFW cigar donation event - Give right here, right now
