Seventh Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive²⁰⁰⁹

 

Community Celebrates Military Family Appreciation Month

 

We give thanks and celebrate our blessings for having such wonderful volunteers and sponsors that made our  Seventh Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive a success for the 2-69 Armor Battalion families facing hardships during the holidays.  This Battalion from Fort Benning has recently deployed to Iraq. 

 

Volunteers delivered cans of vegetables, fruit, cranberry sauce, instant potatoes, stuffing mix, macaroni and cheese, gravy, broth, Jell-O and dessert mixes.  Turkeys were provided by the Army Community Services. 

 

Military families serve just as their uniformed service members do.  Our heartfelt thanks to the families who sacrifice so much -- you are patriots in a quiet, strong way and you make all the difference.  God Bless our troops and their families.

 

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Suwanee Day Festival

September 19, 2009

 

The 2-69 Amor Soldiers from Fort Benning, Georgia, traveled over two hours to celebrate community and be a part of the Suwanee Day Festival.  The Soldiers arrived to a delicious breakfast made special for them by Chef Mark of the Duluth First United Methodist Church.  The Soldiers enjoyed a full slate of festival activities which included marching in the parade with their Commander, Lt. Col. Ashe and his family, as Honorary Grand Marshal.  After the parade, the Soldiers were honored for their service with Mayor Dave Williams declaring September 21 as "2-69 Armor Day."   The Soldiers were recognized again later in the day during a flag ceremony while Hank Bird & the Borderline Band sang "God Bless the USA."  It was a very moving experience knowing the Soldiers will be deploying to Iraq for a fourth time within weeks.  Ippolito's Italian Restaurant hosted dinner for the Soldiers and their families in attendance.  Wild Bill's showed their appreciation for the troops by donating tickets to their event for the evening. Hugs for Soldiers provided overnight accommodations.

 

What a great time had by all. 

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Hugs for Soldiers Booth
Old Milton Country Fair
Alpharetta, GA
Saturday & Sunday, September 12-13, 2009

 
 What a fun weekend!  We made so many new friends who have joined us as volunteers and supporters.  The military exhibits were awesome. 
 
Soldiers from the Georgia Army National Guard Recruiting Station in Roswell joined us in greeting guests.  VFW Post 12002 has teamed up with Hugs for Soldiers in sending Starbucks Coffee to our troops.  The Alpharetta Lion's Club sponsored a banner for securing signatures and well wishes from all attendees for shipping to the troops overseas.
 
Many thanks to Girl Scout Troop 1687 for donating the beautiful crochet items for a fundraiser.  Thanks to our volunteers from Duluth First United Methodist Church, Alpharetta Junior Woman's Club and Republican Women for helping in our booth.
 
We look forward to next year!! 

Thank you to the families, schools, churches, Scouts, and civic groups who sent love, hugs, prayers and caring thoughts to our troops through over 2,800 of the most beautiful Valentine Cards from 18 states.   Your cards will touch the hearts of our troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Germany. 

Over 400 Valentine Treat Bags were shipped to the troops made from the candy that was donated.  The bags were filled with Hershey's HUGS,  KISSES in all flavors and an assortment of Valentine candies.  We also appreciate all the cute stuffed animals...and, so will the troops!!

Please visit our Photo Gallery for a few pictures taken of the cards shipped to the troops...wish we could post everyone of them!  Much love to all our volunteers!

Christmas for Our Troops²⁰⁰⁸

The “Christmas for Our Troops” 2008 Holiday Drive was a great success.  Over 1,200 Christmas packages were shipped to troops deployed overseas in all branches of our military.  Volunteers from Scouts to Senior citizens came together at the Duluth First United Methodist Church to assemble packages filled with an assortment of Hot Chocolate, Apple Cider, Candy Bars, Cookies, Granola Bars, Trail Mix, Nuts, Slim Jims, Chewing Gum, Single Serving Powered Drink Mixes, Hard Candy, Microwave Popcorn and Instant Soup.

In addition to the wonderful donation of snacks, 1,500 Holiday Cards were received from schools, churches, businesses and organizations expressing messages of gratitude, along with holiday cheer.  We appreciate all the love poured into the cards.  Many boxes were filled with sets of bath towels, washcloths, blankets, scarves, hats, personal care items, Christmas ornaments, puzzle books, stationery, pens and small board games.

We wish to thank everyone who gave their time and efforts to support the troops at this special time of year.  Love and HUGS to all!

Community Celebrates Military Family Appreciation Month

As we celebrate our blessings, and give thanks for our freedom to enjoy them, we take great pride in honoring our Military Families.  While this is a wonderful time of year where families and friends come together to feast and reflect on the things we are most grateful for, it is also a time that brings great stress and hardship to others.

It is our privilege to have an opportunity to help those families at Ft. Benning.  The Army Community Services provided Thanksgiving Turkeys to 61 families of the 2-69 Armor Battalion which were recipients nominated by their leading military officers.   Canned fruits, vegetables, instant potatoes, cornbread stuffing, macaroni and cheese, gravy, Jell-O, biscuit and dessert mixes were donated to the Duluth First United Methodist Church.  Financial donations were used to purchase additional items needed.

Families serve just as their uniformed service members do.  Our heartfelt thanks to the families who sacrifice so much – you are patriots in a quiet, strong way and you make all the difference

Thanks to our volunteers – Angie Doerlich, Carolyn Moore, Judy Bargainnier, Diane Womble, Charlie Hudson and Dick Rodie – for delivering the food on November 25^th.   

Operation: Taste of Home ²⁰⁰⁸

Valentine Cards for our Troops ²⁰⁰⁸