RESERVE “ The men and women of the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans home who gave so much in serving their country when needed most got a little something back courtesy of the Louisiana Farm Bureau.
Representatives from the Women’s Leadership Committee of the Farm Bureau were on hand with Santa Claus to hand out lap blankets to the many residents of the Reserve Veteran’s home.
 Denise Hymel, Sandra Sotile, Russ Wise as Santa, Wanda Milano and Grace Vining (left to right) prepare to hand out blankets to the veterans. (Staff photo by Robin Shannon) |
Hymel said more than 150 blankets will be donated to the home. Many blankets were made by Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee members, while others were purchased with funds raised by the committee.
“We aim to bring about awareness of agriculture in everything we do and this has been the best project we have been a part of,” said Hymel. “We feel that without the efforts of these men and women, we may not have anything to farm.”
The Reserve visit was the last stop on the Farm Bureau’s tour of Veteran’s homes across the state. Hymel said more than 650 blankets were donated to veterans facilities in Bossier City, Jennings, Monroe and Alexandria.
At the Reserve stop Santa Clause, played by St. John School Board Member Russ Wise, personally greeted each veteran in attendance and sang songs to lighten the mood.
“I hope you’ve all been good this year,” Claus said the roughly 80 veterans assembled in the center room of the home. “I’m making my list and checking it twice.”
Hymel said the blanket donation is the latest in a series of outreach programs conducted by the Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee. During the year the committee donated food and other items to charitable groups, including the Baton Rouge Food Bank, Ronald McDonald House charities and the Faith Share Mission in Grand Lake.
Comments
Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The L'Observateur is not liable for messages from third parties.
DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in The L'Observateur reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of L'Observateur. L'Observateur does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized L'Observateur spokespersons.
Thank you for your comments!