BCC Region 3 Office staff members chose to participate in the Stockings for Soldiers & Veterans Program this year instead of an office gift exchange. Money was donated, and we purchased items in bulk to stuff 15 stockings to the very top to help bring a smile to the face of a soldier serving overseas.
We included granola bars, hot cocoa, individual drink mixes, fruit snacks, easy mac & cheese, oatmeal, microwave popcorn, tuna packages, baby wipes, Gold Bond powder, Q-Tips, a deck of playing cards, a puzzle book, pen, a pair of dice, a nerf ball and a Christmas card in each stocking.
The program was sponsored locally by Beinhauer Family Funeral Homes, who provided the stockings and the shipping of the stockings. Staff at Beinhauer were grateful for our contributions. They supplied 3,600 stockings to be filled this year to various people. They collect the stuffed stockings and ship them to a stateside military base, who then distribute the stockings overseas to the soldiers. One soldier who was attending a funeral at their facility made it a point to stop at the office and thank them for the stocking program. The soldiers know they are likely to get a package from various family members, but they were extremely overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers who sent the items out of the goodness of their hearts. They said it made their month, not just a day, to know that citizens appreciate their service to our country.
The staff had fun spending their lunch period trying to get the items to all fit into the stockings, and expressed a desire to do this again next year.