Schools, churches, businesses and individuals responded to the call again this year for the annual “Christmas Letters to Soldiers” program, with nearly 1,500 individual letters written by area residents for mailing to serving members of the MN Army National Guard, MN Air National Guard and the MN Army Reserves who are deployed away from home this Christmas.

 

Organizer Becky Knick was busy last Friday, collecting cards written by all four Becker schools.  Friday was the deadline for submissions from schools and businesses, while area churches collected their letters last Sunday.  The service is provided by the Camp Ripley Family Assistance Center, and the postage for the Becker area letters was again paid by ABAXIS, Inc., of Union City, CA, a medical supply company that Knick’s son is employed by.  Volunteers from the “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” organization in Becker also worked on the program.

 

Businesses and organizations serving as drop sites for the letters included the following:  American Family Insurance; Becker Baptist Church; Becker Home School Organization; Becker schools; Becker Free Church; Becker Furniture World “Café Pawz”; “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon”; area Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops; Bulldog University; Red Balloon Day Care; Central MN Law, PLLC; Crossings by Grand Stay; Dr. Stephanie Gruenes Dentistry; Every Day Blessing Boutique; Grace Lutheran Church; Faith Lutheran Church; Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church; PACE Fitness; Sauk Rapids Church; St. Pat’s 4-H; Scheideman Chiropractic and Body Shop; Sherburne State bank; Shepherd of Grace; STARCOR Credit Union; Snake River Free Church and South Santiago Lutheran Church.