Biz Briefs: Peoples donates more than 7,300 items to Rhinelander military group

Peoples State Bank’s military care package drive has concluded with over 7,300 items and $575 in cash donations collected from customers, employees, and the public throughout all Peoples State Bank locations.

Craig Lau, vice president commercial lending at Peoples, presented the items to the Rhinelander Military Support Group this Monday at the Peoples Rhinelander-Anderson Street location. The items were collected in a donation drive held from October 23 to November 13 in honor of Veterans Day.

“We are overwhelmed seeing all this,” said LeRoy Eades of the Rhinelander Military Support Group. “This is a total surprise and comes at a time when money and food donations were almost at a standstill,” he said.

Items donated included food, clothing, entertainment items, and hygiene products such as toothbrushes, shampoo, razors and deodorant. The Rhinelander Military Support Group uses these items to create care packages for both veterans and active military members and their families from Wisconsin currently overseas.

The true impact of this organization cannot be measured, as gratitude from its recipients continues to pour in. In fact, Lau benefited from this service first-hand when he received a care package from this very group 14 years ago.

“I was serving in the Army when we went into Iraq in 2003 and 2004,” said Lau. “Getting those gifts from you [Rhinelander Military Support Group] back then was a gift from God. Especially during the beginning of the invasion. We basically had nothing—cold food and cold showers—and getting these items from the support group was incredibly uplifting,” he said.

“This is my way of showing how to help the soldiers out,” said Eades. “I hope it puts a spark back into them and shows them that we are here for them.”

“This is a reminder to veterans and active military members that we have not forgotten about them and we honor them for all of their sacrifices,” said President and CFO Scott Cattanach of Peoples State Bank. “Thank you to all those in the various communities for your generosity to actively serving military personnel with all the items donated.”

The Rhinelander Military Support Group will continue accepting donations, as well as names of service persons to send care packages to. For more information contact the support group at 715-360-0433 or 715-362-2746.