ELDRED — In honor of Veterans Day on Saturday, the Eldred World War II Museum will host a program and take a collection for care packages to be sent to military men and women and their families.
Starting at 6 p.m., participants will have the opportunity to write letters of appreciation to members of the military. They will also be able to make survival bracelets to be used by troops in emergency situations.
At 7 p.m., there will be a Veterans Day presentation by museum director Steve Appleby.
In addition to the presentation and activities, attendees are invited to bring items to donate to Operation Gratitude, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that sends care packages to military and first responder communities.
Items that are being requested for donations include 2-ounce bottles of travel-size hand sanitizer; 1.2-ounce bottles of travel-size mouthwash, 1-ounce bottles of travel-size sunscreen, 1-ounce bottles of travel-size body powder, 30-packs of all-purpose wipes, insect-repelling band or wipes and hand and/or toe warmers.
Operation Gratitude is a national organization that began back in 2003 with the intent to help active and inactive military personnel, as well as their families.
According to the Operation Gratitude website, the organization sends more than 200,000 care packages filled with food, entertainment, hygiene and personal letters of appreciation annually to U.S. service members deployed overseas and their families waiting at home.
For more information on the event, contact Steve Appleby at the museum at (814) 225-2220.
For those who are looking to donate to the Operation Gratitude at any point in the year, visit the website at www.operationgratitude.com.
