Angels 4 Vets celebrates the season with the spirit of giving

A few days before Christmas, an army of angels gathered. Their mission Operation Christmas Drop was an Angels 4 Vets project designed to deliver food and gifts to local disabled and homebound veterans.

The annual event was started seven years ago by Army veteran William Bruck, owner of Visiting Angels of Monroe, a national provider of in-home care for the elderly.

By selecting a named ornament from Christmas trees set up throughout the county, participants adopted 65 veterans for the holiday season.

Donated items were placed in white baskets waiting for the 22 volunteers, many of them veterans, to arrive early Tuesday morning to make deliveries.

According to Tyler Gedelian of Visiting Angels, the organization partners with Bedford Township Veterans Center to help clients along with local veterans.

“We request basic, day-to-day use items like toiletries, nonperishable food, gift cards and cleaning supplies. We also provide the donor with the veteran’s first name, shirt size, branch served in and era served in so they can buy more personalized items if they wish,” Gedelian said. “Most items are donated by generous community members, businesses and organizations. We purchase sturdy laundry baskets to put the items in and any additional items needed. Some people donate one item, others donate a basket full. We make sure each vet gets an assortment of items.”

After seeing a post on Facebook, Monroe resident Lois Winkleman and her daughter, Heather, adopted a vet and purchased clothing and personal hygiene products.

“My son, Timothy Winkleman II, is in the military and so it’s something I have a passion for,” Winkleman said. “He is in the Army National Guard and is a vet. He served overseas in 2016.”

Monroe Township residents Navy veteran John Edwards and Jerry Heck, who served in the National Guard, helped with deliveries. Both men have been participating in the annual event for several years.

Helping other veterans, especially those that are disadvantaged, is one of the reasons Heck said he donates his time.

“When we’re helping veterans and others see that, they think about the veterans,” Edwards said.

Navy veteran Donna Nuechterlein and her husband, James, made deliveries to five veterans. Their first stop was to the home of 90-year-old veteran Emil Skinlo.

Skinlo served in the Air Force for 27 years and had recently been released from the hospital after having a stroke.

“This is the first time I’ve received anything from Angels 4 Vets,” he said. “This is wonderful.”

“He’s been through an awful lot. He was in Korea, twice in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines, all of that during war time,” said Mary Skinlo, Emil’s wife. “He has stories of how they were under attack at the base and had to live under terrible conditions. He’s had two strokes. The first one was in September. The second one was just a few weeks ago. Getting help like this is really wonderful.”

Christopher Tibai, who served in the Marine Corps 17 years, was another veteran on the Nuechterlein’s list. The father of two said he was grateful to receive the items along with Christmas gifts for his children.

After making each delivery, Donna Nuechterlein thanked the veterans for their service and awarded them with a certificate of achievement for their patriotism and duty.

“A lot of people don’t think about what it takes and to see the amount of time these gentlemen have served tells me a lot. It tells me they were willing to give up their lives for someone else,” Nuechterlein said. “I’m so proud of these men and women.”

Gedelian said the Angels 4 Vets program reminds the veterans there is a community of people that care about them and appreciate their service

“Many of our volunteers making the deliveries are veterans themselves so they can share stories, experiences and camaraderie,” he said. “Angels 4 Vets is so much bigger than our office and our staff. This program would not exist without the overwhelming and generous support of the community, the businesses that host our angel trees and the volunteer drivers. Whether you adopt a vet, give monetarily, or simply help us spread the word about the program, we are truly humbled and grateful.”

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Angels 4 Vets spreads holiday cheer