PRESS: Light Up the Holidays

Traditionally, Christmas is a time to get presents and give them.

Through the years, many have discovered that the gifts of kindness and love overpower any materialistic gifts for the holidays.

The Mount Pleasant community is known for its genuine and generous gestures year-round. As the holiday season approaches, local organizations are ramping up for their biggest charitable season of the year.

Here are five ways to plug into organizations reaching out to help

others for the holidays.

HELPING THE TROOPS

M.O.M. care packages

for Christmas

Every year, many men and women serving in the military, especially those deployed overseas, miss spending the holidays with their families.

This month, Ministering Our Military (M.O.M.) kicked off its annual Red Tube Drive, a fundraiser to donate care packages to the active-duty troops overseas. Kellye Cooper and other members of the non-profit organization are asking for the community’s help to donate gifts for 400 care packages for Christmas.

This year’s goal more than doubles the number of packages M.O.M. sent out last year. Last year, M.O.M. was able to send more than 160 boxes to soldiers deployed to combat zones, Cooper said.

Collection deadline for donation of this year’s gift packages is Thursday, Dec. 3, for Christmas shipping. The packages are valued between $30-$40 containing gift cards, letters from volunteers, canned meals, clothing, and personal care products like foot powder that the men and women may not be able to get where they are stationed.

The gifts will be packaged for shipping on Saturday, Dec. 5, during the Christmas on the Square event downtown. M.O.M. will have a packaging station at Christmas on the Square so that volunteers, members of the organization and the community can assemble the items into holiday care packages. The community can also make cash donations for the shipment of the packages. Each package costs $15 to $18 to ship.

M.O.M. was created in March 2013 by four moms whose sons were serving in the military, including founding member Kellye Cooper.

The goal of the ministry is to support the local military members and their families, which also spills over to support the country’s military service men and women, according to Cooper.

To date, M.O.M. has sent out over 1,000 care packages, Cooper said.

During the holiday season, Cooper says it’s a difficult time for families who have someone serving their time in the military missing family gatherings. She said by supporting the families, she is contributing to helping them have a cheerful holiday.

“We want to support the families during the holidays,” she said. “We had two local families who lost their family members who were serving in the military. We want to make sure to support them during the holidays.”

Cooper says that every year she receives feedback from families and troops about the packages. She receives photographs, thank-you notes and verbal and written messages of gratitude.

“I think it is great how the community is getting behind it (M.O.M.) and they’re starting to respond with helping us help these troops,” she said. “We just want troops to know how much we support them for all they do and if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t enjoy the freedom we have and the Christmas we can celebrate.”

The public can donate items for M.O.M. holiday gift packages at 215 S. Van Buren Ave.

For more information or to donate for the cost of or postage cost of a care package visithttp://www.mommp2013.net.

“All I Want for Christmas”

Cooper is also piggybacking with the “All I Want for Christmas” campaign, initiated by Courtney Grigsby, a member of M.O.M. and a community coordinator for Chambers Home Health and Physical Therapy.

“We love taking care of veterans and it’s my favorite thing to do,” Grigsby said. “We love veterans and it’s something we wanted to do to show them how much we appreciate them.”

The campaign asks the public to share a photo of a deployed soldier and a quote about them to put on the cardboard Christmas tree as ornament at the Christmas on the Square event on Dec. 5. The tree will be located right next to the M.O.M. packaging station.

Grigsby said she likes the idea of the campaign because people tend to forget about the brave men and women serving the country. She said by looking at a photograph and reading a quote, the public can better grasp the reality, up close and personal, of soldiers serving, who won’t get to share the holidays with loved ones.

“I’m hoping it will make the public realize what M.O.M. does for our troops,” Grigsby said. “We get caught up in our selfishness during the holidays, and we should take a moment to look at a picture and read a quote from someone who won’t be with us in the holiday.”

Deadline to submit a photo and quote of your deployed soldier will be on Dec. 4. Contact Courtney Grigsby to send photos and quotes: at 903-563-1608 or email at bcgrigsby07@yahoo.com .