NEW ULM - Donations are sought through Nov. 30 so a Winthrop-based organization can send holiday "care" packages to deployed area military members.
On Monday, Miss Winthrop 1st Runner-up Emilee Lauwagie, 2nd Runner-up Addie Johnson and Sandy Kley of Winthrop dropped off donation boxes in Winthrop and New Ulm.
Drop boxes are located at Ahrens Heating, Inc., In Style Salon and Shayds of Color in New Ulm plus MidCountry Bank in Winthrop and Winthrop State Bank.
Kley said she was spurred to action by her nephew, Bradley Kley of Winthrop who is doing his third tour in Iraq with the U.S. Army.
"He told me how much he appreciated getting 'care' packages around Christmas so we decided to do this," Kley said.
Another Winthrop soldier, Brianna Lauer, is serving in Afghanistan.
Items needed for care packages include instant coffee, single servings of bagged chips and dry cereal, beef jerky, granola and energy bars, dried fruit, summer sausage, gum, baby wipes, deodorant, eye drops, lotion, foot powder, liquid hand sanitizer, squirt guns, Frisbee discs, cards, puzzles, mini fans, comic and joke books, magazines, newspapers, bug repellent and holiday cards and letters.
Monetary donations can be made payable to Brenda Meyer and sent to Brenda Meyer and sent to MidCountry Bank, c/o Brenda Meyer, PO Box 424, Winthrop, MN 55396.
The names and addresses of deployed military members can be e-mailed to winthroproyalty@hotmail.com.
(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).
