Tyrone Hospital Collecting Donations for Project Santa

TYRONE – Members of the community are invited to join with the Tyrone Hospital staff in donating American-made items to Project Santa, an effort to support U.S. soldiers at war during the Christmas season.

Project Santa provides packages of items to help brighten a soldier’s day and let them know how very thankful others are for their service. 

This year in addition to donated items members of the community are also encouraged to include five Kind Acts in honor or in memory of service personnel. 

A collection box is now located at Tyrone Hospital near the central registration desk.  Donations will be accepted from Oct. 29 –Nov. 19.

Items that soldiers are in desperate need of include: nuts, trail mix, cranberry juice, gum, mints, hard candy, beef jerky, flip flops for in the shower, microwaveable plastic containers, boot socks, hand and foot warmers, Febreeze, phone cards, office supplies, air freshener, sunglasses, disposable cameras, crossword and word search books, powdered drink mix, especially Gatorade and pens and pencils. 

Those who include acts of kindness to honor or remember soldiers are asked to write them down and these notes will be sent to the soldiers as well. Tyrone Hospital is making Christmas Acts of Kindness cards available that can be used for this purpose.  The cards will also be available at the registration desk.

Donated items and the Christmas Acts of Kindness Cards will be packaged and shipped so soldiers received them in time for Christmas.

Project Santa is an organization developed by Sharon and Roger Kritzer, who lost their son Pfc. Bradley Kritzer while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Kritzer would frequently tell his mom, Sharon that a lot of the soldiers did not receive mail or packages from home.  The Kritzer family started this organization to show support for U.S. troops and to let them know they are not forgotten. 

More recently, Debbie Kruise and the Catholic Daughters of America have taken over the efforts to continue the Kritzer family’s vision.  The organization receives donations from local businesses and kind individuals to cover the cost of shipping.