With the help of the Convoy of Honor, Branson area residents and visitors have an opportunity to provide a special Ozark Mountain Christmas to the people of Erwin, Tennessee, where over 2,200 people have lost nearly everything in the recent hurricanes.
Convoy of Honor Patriots, who will be in the area during Branson’s Veterans Homecoming Week, will be providing tractor-trailers and box trucks to transport donations. Convoy of Honor will have trucks set up to accept donations at Table Rock Lake State Park, 5272 Historic St. Hwy. 165, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, November 10, and Monday, November 11. (The Convoy will be using the same location as a base camp Nov. 8 through 11, if anyone needs to drop off donations earlier.)
Organizer Mona Miller said she would like to make this a special Christmas, including dinner with all the trimmings for people who have been working tirelessly in recovery and shelter efforts as well as those displaced by the storms. The group also wants to decorate the relief center as a Christmas wonderland, a place to relax and take a break from hard work. Following are some suggested items to donate:
Artificial Christmas trees
Christmas stockings
Christmas lights
Ornaments
Decks of cards, game score pads, pens and pencils
Toothbrushes
Board games, wrapped and labeled with age range
Baby, toddler and children’s gifts
Candy and food to prepare a Christmas dinner
Small propane tanks to fuel donated stoves
Hats and coats (Think staying warm!)
“This is God’s way of healing the hearts of us all,” said Miller. “The gift is in the giving, and I was led to this; it is God working in me. I trust the great people of Branson will help lift up our ‘Mountain Kin,’ during this holiday season.”
The Convoy of Honor will be pulling out the morning of November 12, heading to Tennessee with the donations collected. If you prefer to make a tax-deductible cash donation to help with fuel costs for deliveries, that can be done through CashApp ($bugtussling). Another way to give is through USA SuperHeroes, the nonprofit of entertainer Steve Spurgeon who has been actively helping in Tennessee since the storms. Call 417-239-4320 with any questions.
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