The family of a Milwaukee serviceman is thanking a Two Rivers convenience store for sending a little taste of home to the Mediterranean.
Gas Turbine System Technician Petty Officer 2nd Class (GSM2) Zachary Baltutis is currently serving in the Navy aboard the USS Winston Churchill, and was feeling a little homesick.
We spoke with his father, Jason, who explained that they may live in Milwaukee, but own a place in Algoma as well.
So, when they would make trips up north, the family would always stop at the Two Rivers Kwik Trip, where Zachary would always get All Dressed Urge potato chips.
“My wife and I got on the website and contacted the Kwik Trip to see if they could send some out,” he recalled. “It was just kind of a shot in the dark, but they went above and beyond.”
In fact, the local store sent out a full case of Zachary’s favorite chips, and also reached out to the Corporate office, which also sent out an additional case.
Zachary, who was not expecting this sort of package, tells us he was over the moon happy when it arrived.
“I was absolutely stoked,” he said. “I mean, my favorite kind of chips, and especially since we had been out for a long time, at that point it was very refreshing to see that.”
Each package also had a handwritten note inside, which Ben Jonet, who runs a patch of stores south of Milwaukee, tells us thanked Zachary for his service, and wished him a safe return.
“I think that’s the personal touch that we miss as a society sometimes,” he added. “Thanking somebody not with a copy and paste, but something that is actually meaningful and shows gratitude that comes from the heart. You can’t do that with a computer.”
Zachary also said the chips were more than just a snack to him and his shipmates.
“Especially at this point…we’ve been out for a couple months and, you know, some guys are starting to get a little homesick, a little depressed,” he explained. “That really helps to get a nice taste of home to feel love again…Have that same happiness that we felt when we were back in the U.S.”
Jason had nothing but good things to say about Kris Teknys, the Store Leader of the Two Rivers Kwik Trip.
“They went above and beyond and bent over backwards to send the stuff,” he noted. “They didn’t have to, but they really did.”
Teknys pointed to others who helped make the shipment a reality, saying, “I have to give a shout out to the Two Rivers Post Office for helping me package it all up and getting the box on its way. I’m just glad that we could help Jason out by sending some smiles to our troops.”
Both Teknys and Jonet said they would be more than happy to send even more chips to Zachary as he serves his country.
