'Support our soldiers' hits home for Sacred Heart and St. Joseph

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
October 2, 2003

EARLY/SCHALLER - The confirmation class of 2005 from Sacred Heart Church in Early and St. Joseph Church in Schaller and people from their community are supporting a soldier from the area with letters and needed items.

"We have a local gentleman that is in Iraq that found out that he is over there until 2005," said Edna Miller, DRE and youth minister for Sacred Heart and St. Joseph parishes. "He was just quite depressed so his mother contacted us and our CCD students wrote him letters. The confirmation class is going ahead and taking up a collection of different things for them."

The students, with the help of the community, are participating in the project called Support Our Soldiers. This is considered a community service project for the students in the confirmation class. These students will continue to do other projects throughout the year as well.

"The letter response was great," said Miller. "I think we had five out of our sixth through twelfth grade that participated and maybe all of them did."

The group sent out a list of items soldiers need including things that some people wouldn't normally think of. The soldiers need items such as writing paper, stamps, envelopes and phone cards to keep in touch with people back home. They need personal items such as toothbrushes, shampoo, shoe insoles, foot powder and laundry soap.

"Father O'Kane has announced it from the altar that we are doing this," said Miller. She also commented that it isn't only the students helping with the project, it is the whole community.

The soldiers should have recreational materials to keep their minds occupied such as books and magazines, decks of cards, puzzle books and board games.

Some items will ensure that the soldiers don't get hungry or thirsty such as nuts, breakfast bars, powdered sports drinks, beef jerky, tea and coffee and canned fruits will be needed as well. Items like fly traps and bug spray will keep the bugs away from the soldiers and their food.

Donations have been suggested to help with the cost of the mailing. The deadline for the item drive is Oct. 12. Drop off boxes are located at the back of Sacred Heart Church, The Citizen's Bank and the high school in Early and at St. Joseph's in Schaller.

Items gathered for the soldier will be sent to him once the drive is over.

"I think we need to keep his moral up and let him know that everybody is praying for him," said Miller. "The whole community is thinking about him."