REMEMBERING THOSE WHO WILL NOT BE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. Local members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars spent the days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday sending care packages to a National Guard unit in Iraq to replace items stolen from their tents while they were on a mission. Pictured are, from left, Dave Fogarty and Mal Kenney from South Berwick Post 5744 and Allan Carlson and Dick Filliettaz from York Beach Post 6977 at the York post on Monday, Nov. 20, with boxes shipped out Tuesday morning. The VFW is in desperate need of donations of personal care supplies, playing cards, videos, local newspapers, magazines, nonperishable snack foods and the like. Such donations to troops dropped significantly after Hurricane Katrina, Filliettaz explained, and the post is currently collecting items to fill 84 boxes to be shipped to men and women in a Maine Engineering Unit in Iraq. In addition, the VFW could use help with the cost of postage to send the boxes overseas. While the VFW will not be holding a holiday cookie drive this year due to the cost of postage, there are still many ways for local residents to help, and Filliettaz said the VFW would like to thank residents in York, Ogunquit and the surrounding communities for their generosity since the effort began back in 2001. In the weeks ahead, donations may be dropped off at Eldredge Lumber & Hardware, VFW Post 6977 or York County Federal Credit Union.
Photo by Juanita Reed