United Service Organization volunteer Herb Schmeling is just glad he was in the right place at the right time.

It yielded him yet another opportunity to help local soldiers and their families.

While working his shift at the USO Sea-Tac location, Schmeling got a call from someone looking to donate some recordable storybooks to soldiers and their families. After making some initial arrangements to fill the 500 care packages he was sending out, Schmeling asked center manager Sylvia Keys if the USO could use the remainder of the books.

"I was overwhelmed by the fact they were going to give us the books," Schmeling said.

The donor, Wayne Lawless, donated 2,700 books to the USO on behalf of local retailer Mark's Hallmark and its patrons.

Mark's Hallmark originally wanted to send a bunch of the "Frosty the Snowman" and "The Night Before Christmas" books overseas for military members to record themselves reading and then send back to their families, but Don Leingang, executive director of the USO-Puget Sound Area, had a better idea.

"Why don't we give them to the families right here to send?" Leingang proposed. "There's something pretty magical about a military member reading a book with a message on every page recorded by his kids. That's an incredible Christmas present for the servicemember."

The gift has worked out well for both Schmeling and the USO, as both have found a way to get the books into the hands of soldiers.

"The gift really fit our need," Leingang said.

The McChord USO center will be handing some of the books out to families at the deployed families dinner on Dec. 6 to include in their care packages.

"Kids will be able to record their voices in the book right there and put the books right into the package," said Tracye Kakely, McChord USO center manager.