Receiving letters and postcards in the mail is always a fun thing, especially when they’re from a friend or family member! It’s nice to know that someone is thinking about you. I know I was always excited to get postcards and letters from my friends and family. Our deployed service members love getting letters, too! They get to find out what’s going on in their hometown and how everyone is doing. Unfortunately, there are some soldiers who don’t get letters at all, and that’s where Operation Gratitude comes in.
Operation Gratitude sends thousands of care packages and letters annually to members of the U.S military. The group’s mission is to lift the spirits of our deployed service members and show them how much they are appreciated. They also take donations of crocheted or knitted hats and scarves.
Last week, from July 1 through 3, children were able to decorate and write letters of appreciation to our deployed service members. Each child got to write a little bit about him or herself and let our heroes know what’s going on here on the Central Coast. A little boy shared in his letter about the visiting the museum during the summer, the L.A. Kings winning the Stanley Cup, and also how the World Cup is going. The little ones who couldn’t write drew pictures!
If you and your family want to participate in Operation Gratitude and send letters or care packages to our deployed U.S. Military, check out operationgratitude.com to see how you can help!
The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is at 705 S. McClelland St. in Santa Maria. We are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. We also have a military discount! Active military adults are free and children are $6. There is a 10 percent discount on all memberships for military families.
Erika Garcia, museum coordinator for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum, wrote this week’s Discovery Corner, a weekly column in the Sun highlighting events, science activities, and more. Send comments to discoverycorner@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 10-17, 2014.