Rio Rancho Packing Care and Love

Rio Rancho Observer Online: "Packing care and love for our troops By Jimmy Currier, Observer staff writer The holiday season is quickly approaching and soon we will be bombarded with sales advertisements, Christmas songs and Christmas decorations. Normally, the shopping season begins the day after Thanksgiving. However, one group of folks in Rio Rancho has already started its shopping. The Rio Rancho Blue Star Mothers are in full combat mode. This military support group is on the prowl for gifts and donations to make care packages for our troops. The Blue Star Mothers want the troops to receive the boxes between Thanksgiving and Christmas. RRBSM president Marla Griffith said that some of the young men and women are on the second and third deployment and they look forward to the packages. The packages are not just filled with practical items like toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant, but also little reminders of home. 'For instance we put in little packages of 505 green chile and red pepper flakes to spice up the bland MREs,' Griffith said. 'We also have school children drawing cards and writing letters. The troops love those. They put them on the wall to remind them of why they are over there.'"