This holiday season, students in Tara Miller’s fourth-grade class at Erving Elementary helped brighten the lives of local veterans through their participation in Stockings 4 Soldiers, a grassroots nonprofit based in Carleton, Michigan.
Miller has partnered with Stockings 4 Soldiers for more than five years, guiding her students in creating handwritten Christmas cards for veterans. Each card is filled with heartfelt messages, drawings, and words of gratitude - something the organization says is always a huge hit with the veterans who receive them.
Stockings 4 Soldiers is run by Milt Bryant, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1969–1971, along with his wife Sue and their adult children. Operating out of their family pole barn, the Bryants spend the entire year collecting stockings and small gifts just as they have for the past 10 years. On Black Friday, volunteers gather for an “assembly line” style packing event to fill each stocking with items like chapstick, snacks, crossword puzzles, mittens, tissues, and other comforts of home.
This year alone, the Bryants and their volunteers prepared 1,100 stockings. Throughout December, they hand-deliver these gifts to veterans receiving care at VA hospitals in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Saginaw, and across Michigan, as well as Sandusky, Ohio.
The handwritten cards from Miller’s students are tucked into each stocking as a personal touch. “The kids love it - they even ask to make extras,” said Miller. “They enjoy creating something meaningful, and it’s important for them to understand what it means to serve others.”
For Miller, supporting veterans is personal. “My husband and father are veterans, so serving veterans is important to me,” she shared. “I’m happy to give back and hopefully make someone’s day a little brighter.”
Local businesses also rally behind the cause. Hooked on a Bean, a community coffee shop, collects customer tips and donates them directly to Stockings 4 Soldiers to help cover the cost of stocking items throughout the year.
Through this project, Erving Elementary students learn the importance of gratitude, service, and giving - one handwritten Christmas card at a time.