Expert Suggests Holiday Help for Military Families

By Nina Settappa

Expert Suggests Holiday Help for Military Families

June 18, 2010

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A military family expert says there are more ways for Indiana residents to help overseas troops this holiday season than simply sending cards or care packages.

Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth is the director of Purdue University's Military Family Research Institute. She says military spouses and children often could use help around the house while their family member is deployed.

Some ideas for help include offering to baby-sit children one night so a parent can do holiday shopping, shoveling snow or changing the car's oil.

MacDermid Wadsworth says children of deployed military members might appreciate a personalized pillow with a picture of their parent on it or a calendar made with family photos.

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