Members of VFW Post 1963 Auxiliary made a special holiday delivery last week to the residents of the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland – a delivery that came with a great deal of love, gratitude and respect.
Traditionally, each December numerous residents of the Veterans Home in Vineland are bused to Sea Isle City for a festive holiday luncheon inside Post 1963’s headquarters on JFK Boulevard. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an alternate plan was created to bring holiday cheer to them.
According to Post 1963 Auxiliary President Patti Lloyd, the group’s members and some of their friends donated a variety of gifts for the retired vets, including toiletries and other personal items, puzzles, stationary, calendars, comfortable clothing, and even strings of twinkle lights to decorate the rooms of veterans who are bed-ridden.
The gifts were brought to the Vineland facility on Dec. 11 via a caravan of vehicles that set out from Sea Isle City on a bright and sunny morning. After the gifts were unloaded in front of the Veterans Home, the Auxiliary members – including Santa Claus and Frosty the Snow Man – waved and held signs bearing holiday greetings as many of the home’s residents looked on from their windows.
Along with the variety of gifts that brightened the resident’s holidays, the Auxiliary members also delivered individual ice cream treats, which were donated by ShopRite supermarket of Vineland, and nearly 800 handmade greeting cards, which were created by youngsters from Ocean City’s Intermediate School and High School, Bishop McHugh Regional Catholic School, Cape May County Technical School, Boy Scout Troop 76, and Girl Scout Troop 41012.
The greeting cards included quotations from notable Americans, hand-drawn images of patriotic and holiday scenes, and personal messages expressing gratitude and love.
One of the greeting cards read: “There are no words or actions that can express how thankful I am for your sacrifices, dedication and service. … I do indeed know how much you have to give up because my brother is in the Navy.”
Other cards read: “You are the reason why the United States is where is it is now,” “You give us peace and freedom everyday … you are a hero for your bravery and sacrifices to our union,” and “Dear Amazing Person, I thank you so much … you are loved by many people.”
“Tears came to my eyes when I read the cards the students and scouts created for the veterans,” VFW Post 1963 Auxiliary President Patti Lloyd said. “The kids did a great job, and with nearly 800 cards total, we were able to give two or three cards to each veteran in the home.”
“What better gift to give veterans than having younger generations recognize that our freedoms are a result of their sacrifices of the past,” she added.
Before the caravan of vehicles carrying the gifts and good wishes left VFW Post 1963 for Vineland, Father Perry Cherubini, the pastor of Saint Joseph Catholic Church, arrived to bless the cars and trucks. Mayor Leonard Desiderio also stopped by to thank the VFW members for their efforts and wish them a safe journey.
“This is one more example of what a treasure VFW Post 1963 and its Auxiliary is,” Desiderio said. “What they have done is simply amazing, and I am sure that it brought smiles to many faces. This is another outstanding job by Post 1963 and its members.”
“It was a fine group effort led by our Auxiliary president,” added Post 1963 Auxiliary Treasurer Ruth Brown. “It was a small gesture, but it was an important way for us to let the veterans know we are thinking of them, we appreciate them and we will never forget them. No action is too insignificant for us to do for our veterans.”
To learn more about the VFW Post 1963 Auxiliary, follow them on Facebook or call (609) 263-1711 and ask for Patti Lloyd.
