Brandon Salutes sending postcards to Shilo troops in Latvia

A group in Brandon using postcards to send good wishes to hundreds of Canadian troops in Latvia.

Approximately 500 troops from Canadian Forces Base Shilo are currently deployed as part of Operation Reassurance, which is aimed at deterring aggression, preventing conflict, and protecting stability in the region.

“We want to still remind those soldiers that we’re thinking about them, that we appreciate their service, and that they’re not forgotten,” said Matt Bolley, chairperson for Brandon Salutes.

The organization typically sends care packages of things that might remind troops of home – little comforts like coffee, chocolate, and even calendars, when local soldiers are stationed internationally.

“But of course, when you have a deployment of several hundred like we do right now, you can’t physically send that many care packages,” Bolley says.

Postcards were printed and dropped off at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, one of the founding partners of Brandon Salutes.

“Shilo and Brandon are definitely a driving distance away, but they’re very intertwined and connected, and there’s a ton of overlap,” said Connor Ketchen, general manager of the Brandon Chamber. “So just so that they hear our voice echoed throughout the community, the Shilo community, the Brandon community, all in one really.”

Brandon Salutes has received over 200 postcards so far, but there’s plenty still available.

“We have, I think, up to 1,000 that we can send based on the donation of postcards we had from The Leech Group,” Bolley said. “So we definitely want more people to stop by.”

The plan is to send the first batch of postcards on July 15, but if more postcards are dropped off afterward, Bolley said they can send a second batch in August.

Postcards are also available for pickup and drop off in Shilo at Cursed Coffee.