"Monroe's 2nd and 3rd graders have been collecting donations for the Yellow Ribbon Support Center in lieu of a class gift exchange this year," said Monroe second grade teacher Staci Heiden.
Heiden's students and students in the classrooms of Monroe teachers Jennifer Huelsman, Melanie Shoemaker, Ann Marie Anderson and Jennifer Mills collected reading and entertainment items, snacks and health and beauty items from the Yellow Ribbon Support Center's Soldiers' Wish List and presented the items to Keith Maupin and Erica Huff on Dec. 12.
"Our soldiers get fed well in Afghanistan but there's no place to go when they want a snack or shampoo," said Maupin, who opened the Yellow Ribbon Support Center after his son, Matt, was taken prisoner and later executed by terrorists while serving in Iraq.
"These items will go into Christmas stockings for soldiers serving in Afghanistan," said Huff. "We've already sent out more than 1000 stockings this year."
The Yellow Ribbon Support Center is located 700 Eastgate South Drive, Suite 430, Cincinnati, OH 45245.
Anyone wishing to make donations to the center can call Mr. Maupin at 513-752-4310 or contact him by email at keith@yellowribbonsupportcenter.com.
In addition to the donated items the Monroe students wrote letters and Christmas cards for Maupin to pass on to soldiers in Afghanistan.
"I think these cards are more important to our soldiers than these items you donated," Maupin told the students. "They really do like these letters and I hope you students keep writing to them."
