Campaign aims to bring cheer to soldiers
Published Saturday October 24th, 2009
MIRAMICHI - With a fresh blanket of snow on the ground in Miramichi, Brenda Daigle is hoping the wintry scene will help generate some early Christmas spirit in support of Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Daigle, an instructor at NBCC Miramichi, is overseeing a campaign that she hopes will end with 150 troops opening 150 shoeboxes filled to the brim with all kinds of goodies from home on Christmas morning in Kandahar.
Her son recently returned from a stint in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia policing pirates in the area and she also has friends with family members serving with the Canadian Forces, so it's a cause Daigle says is near and dear to her heart.
After consulting with officials at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown and conducting some research of her own about what kind of items soldiers would appreciate most, Daigle quickly found that it's the little things that have the biggest impact.
With that in mind, drop-off stations have been set up on campus and organizers are asking the public to donate items such as Tim Horton's gift cards, lip balm, beef jerky, sunscreen, coffee, stationary and toiletries.
Daigle said soldiers enjoy nothing more than knowing they're being thought of back home, which is the motivation behind the initiative.
"It's just a way to show that Canadians care," she said.
"My son receives parcels from home when he's at sea, and one day a Grade-2 class from Alberta sent letters to all of the sailors on the HMCS Winnipeg. They were only Grade-2 kids but it touched so many people's hearts on that ship."
To coincide with the shoebox drive, Daigle is hosting an event in the NBCC Miramichi gymnasium at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 6.
Daigle is inviting the public to wear red and pose for a group photograph, which will be included in each shoebox sent to Afghanistan.
She said she's confident the public will rally around the cause.
* For more information on the campaign, contact Daigle at 506-778-6138 or e-mail brenda.daigle@gnb.ca
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