Helping veterans in need a family affair for Woodstock shop owner

All good deeds are equal in the United Relief Foundation's 'Tis the Season of Service campaign to help veterans in need.

However, they would like to share a recent story of generosity and service that exemplifies how "Making A Difference by Being the Difference" can be a family affair.

It is the spirit of service to those who served that Paula Aitken, owner of Casting Whimsy, and her mother, Rita Arnold, took action.

Aitken started with donating 10% of Veterans Day sales from her Casting Whimsy tea shop in Woodstock. She also asks customers to donate to the United Relief Foundation by rounding up their purchases and consider contributing to a "United In Service" tip jar. These monetary donations designated for United Relief Foundation Women Warriors campaign.

Arnold presented the United Relief Foundation with 52 assorted items she hand-knit to provide female veterans some comfort that they have not been forgotten in their time of need.

Two of Arnold's quilted blankets have been placed in the meditation room at National Women Veterans United Sgt. Simone A. Robinson Military Women Veteran's Center in Chicago. Twenty of her hand-knit hats were given to homeless female veterans at an National Women Veterans United stand-down, and the remaining hand-knit items will be provided, by the United Relief Foundation, to other women warriors in need.

The United Relief Foundation encourages the community to make a difference for a veteran in need during the holidays. They remain grateful every day for the men and women who have served, and are serving, in the United States Armed Forces.

How to connect with a veteran in need? Visit a VFW or American Legion near you.

If you would like help connecting or want to do more, contact the United Relief Foundation at (888) 718-0989 or UnitedReliefFoundation.org.