Soldiers serving in the Shomron, who do not have family in Israel, appreciate gift baskets.

There are many different Israel Defense Forces units patrolling the over 1000 square miles that make up the Shomron Regional Council. Some concentrate on keeping the roads safe; others guard the perimeters of some of our communities. Still others man roadblocks and the entrances to some of our communities.

These soldiers allow us to send our children to school, go to work and sleep at night with complete peace of mind.

Our residents view the soldiers as our friends and as our children. We wave at them as we drive by. Bring cakes to them before Shabbat. Invite them to our homes for a warm, home-cooked meal. But it is not enough. Though the majority of the soldiers in our areas have families here, about 75 of them at any given time are either in Israel alone or are living far away from their families.

They rarely receive care packages from home and they return to an empty apartment or remain at an army base on their bi-weekly weekend furlough.

We are turning to you to show these soldiers that you care. For $136 a year we will provide these soldiers with special gift baskets at the High Holy Days, Chanukah, Purim and Passover with a message from you that you care.