While most Kansans will spend the holidays surrounded by family and friends, some of the state’s service members will celebrate Christmas thousands of miles from home.
Volunteer Kansas is asking the community to help ensure deployed Kansas service members know they haven’t been forgotten by participating in its annual Presents in a Package event.
The holiday effort collects donated items, handwritten notes and Christmas greetings, then brings volunteers together to pack and send care packages overseas. Organizers are also asking Kansas families to submit the names and addresses of loved ones currently deployed so they can receive a package.
Names and addresses of deployed Kansas service members must be submitted by Nov. 9 to PresentsinaPackage@gmail.com. When sending the email, be certain to include your name and phone number.
“Sometimes the smallest reminders of home can mean the most when you’re thousands of miles away,” Nola Brown, executive director of Volunteer Kansas, said. “A favorite snack, a Christmas card, or simply knowing that someone back home took the time to say thank you can make a difficult holiday season a little brighter.”
Three Ways Kansans Can Help
- Submit a deployed service member.
Friends and family members can submit the name and mailing address of a deployed Kansas service member by emailing PresentsinaPackage@gmail.com. Make certain to include your name and phone number in the email. The deadline is Nov. 9.
- Donate care package items.
Donations can be dropped off at Southwest National Bank branches or KAKE TV through Nov. 9.
Requested donations include individually packaged snacks, beef jerky or Slim Jims, protein bars, trail mix, instant oatmeal, popcorn, crackers, canned foods with easy-open lids, Christmas decorations, cards and letters, games, puzzles, toys, baby wipes, body wash, sunscreen, socks, and lip balm. A complete list can be found at www.volunteerkansas.org.
Because the packages are being shipped overseas, donated items must fit inside an 11 x 8.5 x 5.5-inch box. Do not include aerosols, medications, chocolate, hand sanitizer, fragile glass items, or batteries.
Monetary donations for postage may also be made at any Southwest National Bank branch, online at Volunteer Kansas’ Facebook page, or sent to: Volunteer Kansas, P.O. Box 781598, Wichita, KS 67278.
- Volunteer to pack the boxes.
Community volunteers are needed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the Farm Credit Bank Building located at 245 N Waco, Wichita, to assemble care packages for shipment.
Volunteer information and registration are available at VolunteerKansas.org.
A Simple Way to Say “Kansas Remembers”
Brown says Presents in a Package is about more than sending gifts. The project gives Kansans a chance to connect personally with service members who may be spending one of the most meaningful times of the year far from the people they love.
Schools, churches, businesses, civic organizations, families, and individuals are encouraged to participate. Children and students can get involved by creating cards and writing letters of encouragement to include in the packages.
The messages don’t have to be elaborate. A few handwritten words of gratitude can provide a powerful connection to home.
