Kansas Palliative and Hospice Care teamed up with the Veterans Administration to create Christmas boxes for veterans.

According to Kansas Palliative and Hospice Care, veterans have served to provide security for us and our country. We believe they should be served in their time of need in a way that recognizes, honors and responds to the unique needs of the Veteran and their family.

The mission of the Kansas Palliative & Hospice Care partners, the Veterans Administration and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is to serve veterans in times of need. What volunteers do during the holidays, and especially Christmas, is a prime example of how they help people in need.

Their team sees the importance in representing and caring for veterans in the community. Nine years ago a group of volunteers began creating boxes of gifts for veterans.

Volunteers created these packages for veterans in hospice who do not have family or are not in contact with their families.

The way the Veteran Community Hospice Partnership Group prepared these boxes was by collecting wish lists from the Veterans themselves.

The boxes stay very true to the wish lists.

According to a representative of the Kansas Palliative and Hospice Care, the wish lists are not outlandish items but they are practical, every day items that everyone needs.

The wish lists ranged from socks, bed sheets, coats, clothing, cooking supplies, calendars, cleaning supplies or personal hygiene products.

All of these items can range in price but are fairly inexpensive and simple to obtain and donate to the community.

Giving people these basic items has shown to bring happiness among the community, which is why volunteers have continued to send out boxes since 2009, according to a Representative of the Kansas Palliative and Hospice Care.

Volunteers gathered at the VA to build the boxes, which is where they determined which veterans to give them to. They distributed the packages to those in need and those who are a part of the VA.

As far as donations go, monetary and non-monetary contributions were gladly accepted by the Kansas Palliative and Hospice Care.

People in the community can always donate money through the Kansas Palliative and Hospice Care’s website under the Donate tab.

Under the same tab, there is a gift-giving donations form. This is more applicable to whatever items one would like to donate. If someone were to donate to the Christmas boxes specifically, it would be preferred to call the Kansas Palliative and Hospice Care and obtain a wish list.

Once given a wish list, items were purchased and dropped off at the VA to be put into its box. When donating for the Christmas boxes, many chose to volunteer as well.

Overall, the Christmas boxes for veterans is a respectable and giving program that brought more joy to the holiday season.