Post-Bulletin staff
Operation Hometown Gratitude and the American Red Cross of Rochester will host a Treats for Troops program, collecting donations of items and funds to send care packages to military members who will spend the holiday overseas.
Collection sites will be available throughout the area.
In Rochester, donations will be collected at Christos Bookcenter, which is inside Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, 3611 Salem Road S.W. The times are:
• 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 through 21.
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• 5:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 22.
• 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 23.
Donations will be collected on Nov. 22 at these times and places:
• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Southeast Minnesota Chapter of the American Red Cross in Rochester, 310 14th St. S.E.
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Stewartville, 400 Fifth Ave. N.E.
• 9 a.m. to noon at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kasson, 301 Eighth Ave. N.W.
• 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Claremont Service and Grocery in Claremont.
Items that are needed include beef jerky, trail mix, granola bars, protein bars, instant drink mix, hot chocolate packets, instant oatmeal packets, snack foods, cookies, gum, hard candy, body wash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, lip balm, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, Q-tips, Mach 3 razor blades, brushes and combs, holiday CDs, DVDs, travel size games, books, magazines, Xbox games, PlayStation 2 games, Frisbees, Nerf footballs, sunglasses, cotton socks and bandanas.
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Checks made out to Operation Hometown Gratitude will be used to defray the cost of shipping care packages or to buy additional items for soldiers. Checks can be mailed to the American Red Cross, 310 14th St. S.E., Rochester, MN, 55904.
For more information, call the American Red Cross at 287-2200 or go to www.redcross-semn.org.
