Each year our wonderful Funnies readers help with a very cool Easter project. I'm asking you to be a part as well - either with your family, church, youth group, school, etc. It can make a significant impact on those who participate!

Every Easter Eve morning (Saturday) our family goes to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (Boot Camp) in San Diego. We - and many other folks - deliver patriotic Easter bags to each of the 100 sick and injured Marine recruits on base. Our goal is to bring cheer to these special recruits on Easter weekend and to show them how much we support them and stand behind their determination to become a United States Marine.

You can't believe what this does for these guys. They wake up that morning to what will most likely be just another boring day as they wait to heal and return to training or be sent home. When they come back from morning chow and see us waiting there with big smiles and hugs, well, the transformation is amazing.

Check out photos and videos from last year's visit.

Here are comments from recruits and their families about this project.

You can be BIG part of that impact - in a very simple way!

These patriotic Easter bags are filled with items that have been donated from various sources. The recruits receive phone cards, envelopes, stamps, note pads, and pens. But the important gift in this bag is a bundle of letters that we collect from children & adults all over the country. Last year each recruit had 30 letters in their bag. That's over 3,000 letters!

Would you please help by collecting letters and/or drawings from children of all ages? We also need letters from adults of all ages. The subject can be patriotic, holiday wishes, or even a simple thank you for serving our county. It can be from schools (public or private), Sunday schools, clubs, retirement homes, and just your own family.

And please email, tweet, pin, or Facebook this page with your friends and family, so we can get more folks in on the fun!

Maybe you can contact schools, churches, retirement homes, or youth organizations to participate and make this a holiday project? Following are simple guidelines for the letters:

- Notes, letter, pictures and cards accepted.
- Salutation should be "Dear Recruit"
- Send all the letters/drawings in one package to the address below.
- NO personal return addresses.
- Mark the back of each note with a classroom sticker or stamp with the school address, if they desire possible responses from recruits.
- We ask that you not use glitter.

Please mail your letters to arrive by March 27, 2017 to the following address:

Marine Moms Online Easter Project
C/O Mike Atkinson
3755 Avocado Blvd
Box 402
La Mesa CA 91941

Thanks in advance for your support of our project. We can make the Easter season just a little better for these recruits who SO desire to serve our country.

Thanks!
Mikey