By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



The large, red box inside Fultondale City Hall is filling up with Christmas spirit.

The cards and notes inside the box aren’t for city workers or residents, but instead for servicemen and women serving our country overseas.

Through Tuesday, the box will serve as a drop-off point for anyone who wants to send a Christmas greeting or note of thanks as part of Operation Christmas Cards For Our Soldiers. The goal of the project is to put a personal Christmas greeting into the hands of each active duty military member.

The national movement to send holiday greetings to troops overseas was localized by Fultondale residents Tonya O’Tinger and partner Brian Wallace.

The couple also operate a taxidermy service, Wild About Fowl.

O’Tinger, whose father served in the military, said the point of the drive is to let troops know how much they’re appreciated by those back home. She found out about the movement through Facebook.

“I checked to see if there was something like this going on in our area and couldn’t find anything,” she said. “I decided to get Fultondale involved.”

The Fultondale Chamber of Commerce began spreading the word about the drive on its Web site and through e-mailed flyers.

Teresa Vise, who serves as marketing, growth, events and special projects co-director for the chamber, said the response to the project has been very positive as the contents of the box continue to rise. She said schools, churches and businesses have also become involved.

“I think this is a simple thing that the average person in our community can do to say thanks,” Vise said. “I’m an army brat myself, so I hold the military in extremely high regard. I always look for things to do that recognize them.”

After Tuesday’s drop-off deadline, O’Tinger will prepare the contents of the box to be shipped to military distribution centers in Oklahoma and North Carolina. She also has addresses to Marine units in Afghanistan. It will take about 20 to 24 days for the cards to reach overseas troops.

The cards do not have to be personally addressed or contain postage. Cards should be seasonally appropriate and can also include a photo. The card can also include an e-mail address so the soldier can correspond with the sender.

“This is just something that’s close to my heart,” O’Tinger said. “I want to thank them for their sacrifice to our country and let them know they’re not forgotten.”

For more information on Operation Christmas Cards For Our Soldiers, visit www.fultondalechamber.com.