County Officials Give Gifts To Delco Veterans

Santa Claus and Delaware County Council members spread holiday cheer Dec. 16 to residents and veterans living at a county skilled nursing facility.

As part of Council’s annual Holiday Cheer for the Troops and Veterans campaign, Council distributed gift bags to the 100 veterans living Fair Acres in Media.

Air Force veteran Chairman Mario J. Civera joined Santa in Building 7 on the Fair Acres campus in Middletown.

Each veteran received a gift bag with a holiday greeting from Council and a copy of the 2016-2017 Veteran’s Book published by the Delaware County News Network, according to the county.

For nine years, County Council and the department of Public Relations, which oversees the Armed Services Tribute Board, have collected and mailed hundreds of holiday cards and gifts as part of the Armed Services Tribute initiative, the county said.

“During the holidays, it’s important to remember the brave men and women of the armed services who are fighting for our freedom at home and overseas. We also want to remember our veterans, especially those who are now in the skilled care of our staff at Fair Acres,” Civera said in a statement. “They sacrificed for us and now we need to make sure they are remembered.”

This year, Council partnered with AMVETS Post 118 in Morton to mail care packages to Delaware County men and women in the Armed Services who are serving on base or in the U.S.

Past AMVETS Post 118 commander Harry Mirra and his fellow veterans picked up two deliveries of gift items donated by county employees to be mailed to troops through the AMVETS Care Package initiative.

“This year we decided to extend our collection to send greetings to the nearly 100 veterans living at Fair Acres, our skilled care facility in Middletown,” Civera said in a statement. “Our holiday campaign now has a dual purpose to reach active duty troops and our brave veterans.”

Civera reminded people to stop by the Armed Services Tribute Board on view in the lobby of the Delaware County Government Center in Media.

Any Delaware County resident who has a family member currently serving in the military can contact Kate Morrone at (610) 891-4931 or email at MorroneK@co.delaware.pa.us. to have their family member’s photo posted on the Armed Services Tribute Board.

Image via Delaware County