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All stars spoken for in annual Adopt A Vet

The people of Marshalltown really came through for the residents of the Iowa Veterans Home.

An annual tradition – Adopt A Vet – resulted in 285 veteran stars distributed to Marshalltown businesses. Each star carried a Christmas gift wish of a resident at the IVH. There were no value limitations on those stars.

“Some of them were as simple as shampoo or a case of pop,” said coordinator Erin McGregor. “One resident asked for a GrandPad, which is a $200 item and another asked for a digital watch. All of the 285 stars were adopted which says a lot of people in this community and how we help out.”

The deadline for Adopt A Vet was Friday which is also the day McGregor found out every single star was spoken for.

“People can still donate to the event, though,” she said. “They can donate money for the veterans to use at the canteen on campus.

She said officials with the event this year wanted to make it important for the residents and include not only those who do not have family members but also have family that will not be present for the holidays. Because of that McGregor said 108 veterans submitted wishes and each person had the option to submit up to three.

The gifts will be given to the residents at 6 p.m. on Sunday in the Malloy Building Leisure Resource Center on the IVH campus. Refreshments will be served and entertainment provided by the ReStore Church.

The party is open to the public and can attract hundreds of people who are looking to honor veterans with holiday festivities.

Adopt A Vet has been an ongoing Marshalltown tradition since 2001 when it was started by Vic and Gayle Hellberg of Marshalltown. It is now sponsored by the Marshalltown Central Business District.

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