Wisconsin veterans and soldiers serving overseas will benefit from the 7,700 items and $672 in cash donations collected from customers and employees at nine Peoples State Bank locations during Peoples military care package drive.

LeRoy Eades, of the Rhinelander Military Support Group, was presented the items on Thursday, Nov. 16 at the Peoples Rhinelander-Anderson Street location. The items were collected in a donation drive held from Oct. 22 to Nov. 13 in honor of Veterans Day.

“I know firsthand how incredibly uplifting these packages can be, having received one from the Rhinelander Military Support Group while I was serving in Iraq. This is one small way that we can show our veterans and active military members that we appreciate everything that they do for our country,” said Craig Lau, vice president commercial lending at Peoples. “Our communities continue to impress me with their generosity.”

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 from Wisconsin who are overseas.

“Peoples is proud to lead the collection of care packages for our nation’s military. Many thanks to our military families for their strength and dedication in difficult times,” said President & CEO Scott Cattanach of Peoples State Bank. “The donations of our customers and employees are only a token of our appreciation but expressed to remind our soldiers we are thinking of them this Thanksgiving.”

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.