Amy’s Attic collecting cards for nursing home residents, first responders

By BRITTANY FHOLER 
Cove Leader-Press 

Amy’s Attic Self-Storage locations throughout Central Texas are collecting Christmas cards for their Community Through Cards initiative to distribute to local nursing home residents and first responders this holiday season. 
The Copperas Cove location will be partnering with the 2nd grade classes at Williams/Ledger Elementary and picking up cards made by the students there to distribute to residents at Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehabilitation Center during their Christmas party on December 20, as well as to local first responders and to Hill Country Rehab and Nursing Center if the number of cards allows, according to manager Lisa Sherwood. 
There are five locations in Central Texas accepting donations of Christmas cards, with three locations allowing for people to come in and make their own in the office. 
The Community Through Cards program started in 2017, according to Chandra Howard, the manager for the Harker Heights Amy’s Attic Self-Storage location. 
“It was a way for us to get involved in the community, get our community involved with itself basically,” Howard said. “So, putting it out there that here’s an opportunity for you to take some time, you know, hand-make these items and give us a chance to get out into our community and deliver to people that may not have someone giving them these cards and showing them love.”
Howard also explained how the teachers at these different schools have taken to implementing the Christmas cards into their lesson plans, with a focus on shapes or writing or colors. Previous cards from elementary classes have featured questions asking how the resident is doing and wishing them a Merry Christmas. 
The residents enjoy these questions, which are read aloud to them when the cards get delivered, Howard said. This program is also helping to incorporate a lesson to teach the students what is means to be part of their own community, she added. 
“As little as decorating a card will help them in the future understand what that means to actually be able to reach out and give back,” Howard said. 
The Copperas Cove and Harker Heights locations, as well as the Amy’s Attic location in Salado, have a decoration station inside the office for people to stop and decorate their hand-made cards, while the Killeen and Belton locations have a drop-off station. 
The Copperas Cove location also has a box for kids to drop off their letters to Santa and a place for parents to come wrap presents. 
“The Community through Cards is really for us a way for us to share, connect and grow through this program,” Howard said. “We love doing any type of activity or event that allows us to give back and the fact that we actually get to go onsite and deliver these things, those are things that I know our staff look forward to doing as well as the people who participate when they get to see that in the paper, and they get to see it through our social media and things like that.” 
Sherwood said she loves to see how the residents react to receiving the cards. 
“It makes my heart happy,” Sherwood said. “When I see them, the older people that don’t have family that come and see them, it just brightens up their day and when they hug you and say thank you, that’s what it’s all about is to make them happy, especially during the holidays when they don’t have anybody-because they feel so alone in there. It’s well worth it.”
All five locations will be collecting Christmas cards during business hours until December 14. 
The Copperas Cove location is at 930 W. Hwy 190 Copperas Cove, TX. 
The Killeen location is at 5780 E. Rancier Ave. 
The Harker Heights location is at 800 Prospector Trail. 
The Belton location is at 7950 State Hwy 317. 
The Salado location is at 3524 F.M. 2484.