Care Packages For U.S. Troops

Milton, Northumberland County- Donating time for those who donate their lives for our country, a group of senior citizens is collecting items for care packages and sending them to U.S. soldiers for the holidays.  Lois Schnyder says "as long as we have our soldiers over there, which has to be, we are all safe and that was their doing so we owe them a lot."   Schnyder lives at Kramm Health and Rehab Center and she's spending her time giving back.  "It was fun and yet it was for a good cause," she says.

Schnyder, along with nearly 30 other residents, have put together care packages for U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Don Schweer is also a Kramm Health and Rehab Center resident and says "you should get out and do something, just like the boys over there are doing."

The project is called "Operation Helping Hands for Heroes" and the group filled around 40 boxes that will be shipped out this week.  Resident Joan D'Avanti says they wanted "mostly all of the things that they wanted, but they wanted a camera and sun glasses and a yoyo and toothpaste and all kinds of things like that." 

Collecting these items doesn't only benefit the troops it also has benefits for the residents here as well.  Director of Therapy, Tanya Snyder, says "I think they've lived their lives as independent as possible and we want to enrich that anyway we can."  What was supposed to be an hour a day project dedicated to packing and rehabilitation, turned into an all day project.  Many residents, like Schweer, served our country, and want to help out the troops anyway they can. "Keep going. You'll get back. I made it and you will too. Thank you," says Schweer.  From here fed-ex will pick up the boxes and have them delivered to the troops overseas all for free