Local program to send care packages to military begins

The Hi-Line Cares Package Program begins this week in Havre and on the Hi-Line. The Havre-Chinook Military Family Readiness Support Group, along with relatives, neighbors, friends, former classmates and community service groups, are accepting donated items along with donations to cover the cost of postage to send care packages to Hi-Line soldiers deployed overseas or stateside.

The purpose is to show soldiers, guardsmen and reservists that are away from home and loved ones that their hometowns are thinking of them and want to show their support.

Donation drop boxes have been placed in local stores and churches in Havre, Chinook and Harlem. Items can be placed in them anytime within the next month. Any items are welcome. A list of items that service members have requested is on posters accompanying the drop boxes.

At the end of the program, organizers will meet at the Havre National Guard Armory to prepare the boxes for delivery or shipping.

Area people who have a loved one in any branch of the armed forces, guards or reserves who is deployed or stationed overseas or stateside can call Judi Kase at 265-9776 to register that person with the program. Because of military confidentiality, only soldiers whose families have contacted the organization and expressed their wish to have their loved one included can receive a package from the program.

If people wish to donate items to go to a particular soldier, they can do so by indicating that soldier's name on their donated items. The Havre-Chinook Military Family Readiness Support Group will also try to put donations from each town into the boxes of soldiers who are from that community.

The support group has contact people for Chinook and Harlem who have distributed posters, boxes and cans, but still needs help from people in other towns, including Chester, Big Sandy, Rocky Boy, Fort Belknap. Residents who would like to have drop-off boxes in their town can call Kase at 265-9776.