Seniors & students send treats to troops
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Because of an effort between Freehold Township senior citizens and pupils at the Marshall W. Errickson School, some members of the military who are serving overseas will be receiving scores of shoe boxes brimming with items from home.

The effort is part of an adopt-a-soldier project.

Arlene Golub, the director of the Freehold Township Senior Center, Jackson Mills Road, said she heard about the project from her two grandchildren who are secondgraders at the Errickson School.

She said the pupils were collecting personal items and filling up shoe boxes to be sent to American military members.

"I felt that this project presented a wonderful opportunity for our seniors to work with the students for such a worthy common goal, to help our soldiers," Golub said. "The response (from the seniors) was overwhelmingly positive."

Between early October and Oct. 22, Golub's office became the home of shoe boxes filled with personal items for the servicemen and servicewomen. The boxes were delivered to the Errickson School on Oct. 22.

People who made donations loaded the shoe boxes with items such as canned food, tea, coffee, hot chocolate mix, powdered drink mix, snack foods, soap, toiletries, and more.

Some of the seniors donated cash and Golub said she did the shopping for items to be boxed up and sent overseas.

The seniors filled 100 shoe boxes with items for the service members and Golub said she felt fortunate to have been able to join up with the students in the worthwhile endeavor.

She said the seniors were thrilled to be a part of the community project.

Allison Gallagher, a second grade teacher at the Errickson School, was the coordinator of the adopt-a-soldier project at the school. She said a similar project was held at Freehold Township's Eisenhower Middle School last year and she thought it would be nice to bring the project to the Errickson School.

All five second grade classes participated and Gallagher also opened the project to all of the children in the school under the Errickson CARES program (Community Action Requires Everyone's Support).

The second-graders filled their own shoe boxes with items for the troops while children in the other grades were asked to bring in personal items for the men and women in the military. The second-graders were responsible for packing and wrapping the shoe boxes.

Gallagher said the students decorated each shoe box in a patriotic design.

"The boxes will be arriving just in time for the holidays. The soldiers request just basic things to make them more comfortable," the teacher said, adding that the children are also writing "thank you for all you are doing for us" and other messages of appreciation.

"The kids really enjoyed working on the project and the families could not have been more supportive to us. They are very generous with their donations," Gallagher said. "Our families are wonderful here at Errickson. Anything we need they are always here to support us."