Close to 200 people show up to show their support for troops

A4

BY KRIS MCDAVID
Times & Transcript Staff

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

MIRAMICHI - Miramichi supports our troops.

Those were the words emblazoned across a banner in the gymnasium of NBCC Miramichi late last week, and judging from a crowd of close to 200 who gave up their lunch hour in exchange for an opportunity to express their thanks to Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan, those four words couldn't have rang any truer.

People ranging in age from two to 82-years-old dressed in red and donning poppies to match, smiled and waved for the camera during a group photo session aimed at ultimately putting a smile on the face of a Canadian soldier come Christmas time.

The photo is just one of the many items from home that will be sent to at least 150 Canadian Forces soldiers in Kandahar later this week as part of the inaugural Operation Christmas Shoebox campaign.

Brenda Daigle, an NBCC instructor, organized the shoebox campaign as a simple way for people to bring some holiday cheer to soldiers' lives and show support.

"Everything has come together, it's just amazing to see, everybody has come forward and I can't say enough about this community," said Daigle.

"We need to show our gratitude for our freedom, which we owe to those who risked and gave their lives to defend our country, and we need to honour the bravery and heroism of those soldiers every day, not just on Remembrance Day."

For the past few weeks, Daigle has been receiving items such as toiletries, beef jerky, lip balm, magazines, Tim Horton's gift cards and cash from people as far away as British Columbia.

Daigle said she already had enough donations to fill roughly 80 shoeboxes to the brim and organizers have received cash that they turned into the rest of items needed to round out the balance of what was required for the drive.

She said that while she was thrilled to not only have met and exceeded her goal, the though of bringing a smile to the face of a soldier half a world away is what makes the campaign so worth while.

A truck, courtesy of Towne Ford in Miramichi, hauled the Christmas loot to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown yesterday, at which point they will be flown to the Canadian compound in Kandahar.

From the outset of the campaign Daigle has been coordinating with CFB Gagetown officials to come up with the names of soldiers who would most appreciate the supplies. Daigle said efforts are also being conducted to find soldiers to receive any excess shoeboxes that may be left over.

Unlike the American military, the Canadian Forces has a policy where packages sent to soldiers can't be sent at random, so Daigle said she's thankful for the help she's received.

She said she's overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity and plans on continuing the shoebox drive on an annual basis.

Winston Dottin, a business administration student at NBCC Miramichi, has served in Afghanistan and several other overseas missions with the Canadian Forces. Addressing the crowd, Dottin said he knows from experience that when a soldier receives a gift from somebody back home, it means the world to know they're being thought of. Several veterans and local legionnaires also participated in the photo session.