By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – U.S. Airmen stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany received Christmas cheer from Shelby County residents recently.

A Church of the Highlands small group based in Columbiana assembled 100 Christmas care packages for the military service members, some of whom are spending their first Christmas away from home this year.

Keith and Jessica Holland, the small group leaders, have a son stationed at Ramstein and know the sacrifices the men and women make to serve, including not being able to go home at Christmas.

They wanted to do something to bless them, Jessica Holland said.

Rachael Wood, who is Keith’s sister, and Wood’s husband, Chris, agreed to help Keith and Jessica gather donations of items for the packages.

Their goal was to ship 25 boxes to the fuels shop at Ramstein.

Students and teachers at Elvin Hill Elementary School donated items and wrote letters to the Airmen.

The Garcia and Lamoureux families, who also attend Church of the Highlands, made sizeable donations to help purchase items for the boxes.

Church of the Highlands also donated Bibles for each box.

The large number of items and donations collected allowed the group to send 100 care packages to Ramstein.

Dwight Sandlin and Jonathan Belcher of Signature Homes in Birmingham donated enough money to cover the shipping for all 100 boxes.

The group enlisted the help of volunteers to pack the boxes and complete customs forms for each box.

The boxes were shipped Nov. 2 and arrived within a week.

“The Airman were thrilled,” Jessica Holland said. “They enjoyed their packages as well as the many letters they received from the children.”