Area organizations are looking for the community’s help to provide 2,500 wreaths this holiday season for veterans’ graves in Atlantic County.
They’re also looking for volunteers to place the wreaths as part of the Wreaths Across America event on Dec. 13 at Holy Cross Cemetery in Mays Landing.
“We need your help,” said Peter Eschbach of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 220, the local Wreaths Across America organizer. “We don’t know them all, but we owe them all.”
This is the third year Eschbach, a parishioner of Saint Vincent de Paul, has worked to bring Wreaths Across America to the Mays Landing parish and adjacent cemetery. The nationwide initiative started with the placement of wreaths on veterans’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery in 1992.
“Wreaths Across America is important because it provides a national way to remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach future generations about the value of freedom. Our effort is a way local residents and businesses can participate,” Eschbach said.
To that end, this year’s ceremony and wreath-laying will again include numerous community partners, including the Saint Vincent de Paul Regional School choir, active-duty servicemembers and dignitaries, veterans, local scouts, Civil Air Patrol cadets, and JROTC cadets from Pleasantville High School, Atlantic City High School and the Atlantic County Institute of Technology.
There will be a VFW Honor Guard rifle salute followed by the playing of “Taps,” as well.
Among those scheduled to attend are Bishop Joseph Williams and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Laurence Linton, commander of the 99th Readiness Division at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Eschbach said the event is about more than placing a wreath on a grave. “The event is a time-honored tradition that uses wreaths to symbolize gratitude, service and eternal life, with each wreath placed and each name spoken serving as a tangible reminder that veterans are not forgotten.”
It’s also a learning opportunity for the youth who attend. “Many of these children don’t know about the wars and the veterans who died. Being a volunteer at the ceremony and placing a wreath with their mom or dad is a great opportunity for them to learn more,” Eschbach said.
The Wreaths Across America ceremony will begin at noon on Dec. 13. For each wreath sponsored through the parish, the Saint Vincent de Paul Parish Food Pantry will receive $5 to help run its operations. Last year, nearly $2,000 was raised for the food pantry through this initiative. Saint Vincent de Paul Regional is also participating, with sponsorships supporting the school.
The deadline to donate is Dec. 1.
To sponsor through the parish, visit bit.ly/45lML1a. To sponsor through the school, visit bit.ly/3LQU8ah.
For more information about the Wreaths Across America in Mays Landing, contact Peter Eschbach at 609-335-3637 or peter.eschbach@outlook.com. For more information on the Diocese of Camden’s cemeteries, visit southjerseycatholiccemeteries.org.
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