A local Army mother is trying to make the upcoming holiday season a little brighter for around 200 people serving in her son’s unit stationed in Afghanistan.
Rachel McBride, mother of 1st Lt. Sean Meade, an Army Ranger and graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, is organizing and collecting goodies to fill stockings and ship them to the unit. She’s hoping the community will help her with her goal.
This summer, with contributions from the local community McBride was able ship gifts to the unit members, who McBride says were “absolutely thrilled.”
She said her son told her the gifts had boosted morale for the troops who arrived in the Afghanistan desert in April.
McBride says the unit is about three hours away from any town and is living in very “primitive conditions” and those in the unit are hopeful that Christmas can be sent to them.
Donations must be collected by Oct. 28 in order for the shipment to go out on Oct. 31. McBride says security reasons stipulate deadlines for gift shipments to the troops.
Anyone who would like to donate items should contact McBride at 304-683-3594 or 304-222-4330 for further information about drop-off locations or to request that the items be picked up.
Suggested items to donate include Christmas candy, gum, Fruit Roll-ups, Gushers, Cracker Jacks, beef Slim Jims, pretzels, lemonade-flavored drink mixes, individual flavored teas, hot drink mixes, large bags of coffee, commercially packaged trail mix;
Nuts, chips, cookies, tuna, Ramen soup, lasagna, canned fruit, pocket games and puzzles, DVD movies, music CDs, current magazines, Beanie Babies, AT&T phone cards;
Paperback books, disposable cameras, lip balm, foot powder, small toiletries and lotions, crew socks, hand and foot warmers, fly swatters and holiday greeting cards with messages of support and friendship.
Items that cannot be accepted include homemade foods, soap products or romantic novels.
McBride is also accepting monetary donations to help cover shipping costs.
Sophia United Methodist Church is also serving as a drop off point for the project.
— E-mail: chiggins@register-herald.com
Local News
Local woman hopes to brighten Christmas for unit in Afghanistan
Shipment must go out on Oct. 31 to meet security requirements
- Local News
-
- RGH Cardiac Interventional program resumes
-
Dark enlightenment at Auschwitz
The sky above us was gray and murky as we gathered at the main entrance. After a mere three-hour drive, we had crossed the border from the Czech Republic into Poland and arrived at Auschwitz: the largest concentration camp established and built by the Nazis during World War II.
- PSD negotiating sale with Beckley Water Company
-
Vandalia gathering set for Memorial Day weekend
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History invites the public to celebrate the traditional music of West Virginia on Memorial Day weekend, May 24-25 at the Cultural Center during the 37th annual Vandalia Gathering. The family-friendly event is free, and everyone is welcome.
-
Storms cause minor power outages
A few minor power outages and a mudslide in Glen Daniel were the most dramatic reports to the Raleigh County Emergency Operations Center, following pop-up thunderstorms throughout the region Sunday afternoon, officials said.
-
Blue Ridge Funeral Home to honor veterans, first responders and all loved ones May 26
Traditionally, Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor those who died while serving their country, but over the years, the day has become a time to honor all of those who have passed.
- Calendar — Monday, May 20, 2013
-
Red Riders
-
Doctors, patient express importance of RGH cardiac unit
Dorothy Wright-Reynolds will remember Nov. 13, 2009, for the rest of her life.
It was the day that due to the quick response of many people and the availability of cardiac stent service at Raleigh General Hospital, she survived. -
Murder in a rural county
High on a hill, in woods overlooking a multi-family cemetery, a hunter set about readying a tree stand for the fall season when he spied a human skull.
- More Local News Headlines
Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: Fierce Bombing in Qusair, Syria
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
