In its final season, Minnesota Nice still seeking donations

Anyone wishing to donate goods or money to Minnesota Nice needs to do it this season.
Linda Krueger, who coordinates the local effort to send gift packages to active military personnel during the holiday season, said Monday that this will be her last year of collecting goods and mailing packages. She is helped each year by LaDonna Stuber and Colleen Benjamin, converting her basement into a Santa’s workshop where gift items are packed into boxes.
“I’ll probably still be involved in a group that sends fleece blankets to service personnel,” said Krueger. “I’ll have more information about that in the future.”
Krueger added that she hopes this final season will be the best for Minnesota Nice.
The local effort continues to be well-received by overseas military personnel. Krueger recently shared a couple of thank yous she has received from soldiers, who also shared what items they are in need of most.
“We are an active duty unit deployed to Iraq out of Fort Polk, Louisiana,” wrote one recipient. “The soldiers of my unit are in various places. And some locations have more amenities than others. However, they all live in tents with 110 power. However, power outlets are scarce. With many soldiers sharing the same one. More plugs would be ideal. They sleep on cots. No pillows available. Something soft (blanket or pillow) would be nice. I don’t want to send a shopping list. No stove, no cooking utensils or ability. One of the three locations has a PX. But the one is very small with limited bare essentials. The guys at the other two locations do not have a PX and do not get an opportunity to rotate back here to utilize the PX. They rely strictly on care packages … Drinks that replace electrolytes are hard to get. So Gatorade power mixes would be nice."
For more about the Minnesota Nice effort, see the Dec. 6 print edition of The Chronicle.