Sending pieces home for the holidays

MT. PLEASANT — Downtown Mt. Pleasant business Quilters Paradise took Holiday on Main as an opportunity to further support deployed servicemen and women this holiday season.

Evelyn Nichting carefully colored a “Thank You” coloring page for her Uncle Jake at Quilters Paradise during Holiday on Main while her little brother Zeno colored a Christmas page.

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According to their mom Kelly Nitching, Evelyn and Zeno’s uncle Jake Hopkins is currently serving overseas, and this was a special opportunity for them to come together with the community to encourage him and other soldiers during the holiday season.

Cathy Hopkins, owner of Quilters Paradise, leads a charge to support her son Jake who was deployed to the Middle East with his unit, the 831st Engineer Company, this past September.

“We are a military family,” Cathy Hopkins said. “We just sent a Christmas stocking for each of the soldiers in that unit.”

Through generous donations, Quilters Paradise sent out 150 Christmas stockings to her son’s unit.

In a continued effort to support those away from home for the holidays as they serve, Hopkins also hosted a stop at Holiday on Main for the community to drop in and write a Christmas card to send to the troops.

Adults and children visited with one another and some local national guard members as they wrote their caring notes to the soldiers.

“It just makes it nice if everyone can get a card or something with their stuff,” Hopkins said.

According to Hopkins, her son enjoyed writing back and forth with a pen pal, and the addition of the personal note makes a difference.

The generosity of the community and passionate support of Hopkins goes beyond Christmas stockings and cards, though.

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“People have been bringing all kinds of stuff,” Hopkins said and commented that her store front window is filling up with those donations. “ … We’ll be shipping more stuff out again.”

Hopkins welcomes donations for care packages until the 831st Engineer Company come home.

“They can drop off donations or they can make monetary donations for postage,” Hopkins said.

According to Hopkins the best donations come in travel size so the soldiers can easily put them in their backpacks.

Hopkins provides a list of care package item ideas:

Books

Magazines

Card games

Foam footballs

Flashlights

Batteries

Foot powder

Shower supplies

Lip balm

Lotion

Wipes

Q-Tips

socks

deodorant

sunscreen

IcyHot

Hand sanitizer

Leans wipes

Hard candy

Drink packets

Nuts or sunflower seeds

Microwave popcorn

“Just add water” foods

Hot sauce/seasonings

Protein bars

Gum

Dice games

Iowa memorabilia

Stamps

Envelopes

Cough drops

Hand cream

Snacks

Hopkins encourages those seeking more information to stop by Quilters Paradise or reaching out to her directly by phone at (319) 385-1749

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com