Category: Events

Hondo, Texas — In a heartfelt demonstration of community support, Medina Electric Cooperative has donated $500 to the Salvation Army, Devine Service Unit, to support their Emergency Disaster Distribution Center. The contribution, announced earlier this week, is aimed at strengthening the center’s ability to respond swiftly to local emergencies and natural disasters.
The Devine Service Unit of the Salvation Army operates the Disaster Distribution Center as a lifeline for families and individuals affected by unexpected crises, including storms, fires, and other emergencies. The center provides essential supplies such as water, cleaning Supplies, portable heaters, portable fans to those in need during critical times.
“Medina Electric is committed to supporting the communities we serve, especially when disaster strikes,” said a spokesperson for Medina Electric Cooperative. “We believe that by partnering with organizations like the Salvation Army, we can make a real difference and help our neighbors get back on their feet more quickly.”
The $500 donation will be used to stock the center with emergency supplies and help maintain its readiness for rapid response. According to Salvation Army representatives, contributions like this are vital to ensuring that they can continue to provide timely and effective aid when it is needed most.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Medina Electric,” said a representative from the Salvation Army’s Devine Service Unit. “Their support enables us to better serve the community and offer hope to those going through difficult times.”
The partnership between Medina Electric Cooperative and the Salvation Army underscores the importance of local organizations working together to build a resilient and compassionate community. Residents who wish to support the Disaster Distribution Center can contact the Salvation Army’s Devine Service Unit for more information on making donations or volunteering their time.
Salvation Army, Devine Service Unit, Cindi Billebault, Chairman, P.O. Box 229, Devine, Texas 78016

The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign is set to return to Walmart in Devine from November 28 through December 24. As holiday shoppers make their way through the store, they will once again hear the familiar sound of bells ringing, inviting them to support those in need within our own community.
Our 2025 goal is $18,000.
Every dollar dropped into the Red Kettle at Walmart Devine stays right here in the local area, providing essential assistance to families and individuals who need it most during the holiday season and beyond. The generosity of Devine shoppers helps fund food, shelter, and emergency support, ensuring that our neighbors receive vital help when it matters most.
The Salvation Army is seeking volunteers to ring the bell and bring holiday cheer to the Red Kettle campaign. If you, your family, or your organization would like to participate, please contact us for more information. Your time and donations will make a meaningful difference for our community this holiday season.
Contact Dr. Cliff Redus: 830.931.1280 or Donna Trott: 210.215.7270.
You may mail a check to Salvation Army, P.O. Box 229, Devine, Texas 78016.

(Submitted by Martha Wall, LC for DECemetery and STCemetery)
Devine’s 4th National Wreaths Across America Day is less than a month away! Put Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 11:00 am, on your calendars. Come to the ceremony oak that shades Devine Evergreen and St. Joseph cemeteries and help our community carry out the Mission of Wreaths Across America to Remember, Honor, and Teach. Join the Current Events Club, families, friends and organizations – grateful Americans – and be part of an international mission taking place that day all across the United States and even around the world. Veterans buried who have ever served our country are solemnly recognized with wreaths placed on their graves. People come together to share memories, recognize the importance of veterans and their families, and talk about the sacrifices men and women have made over the centuries for our freedoms and liberties.
Sponsorships (funds) are needed to provide wreaths for the over 678 veterans who have been identified in Devine’s two WAA cemeteries. A seventeen dollar ($17) donation provides for one live, balsam wreath; your generosity helps us reach our goal so volunteers can place a wreath at every veteran grave on ceremony day. You can also volunteer by contacting a Current Events Club member. Both make this day happen right here in Devine. For more information, contact local WAA Location Coordinators Linda Kreinhop, at 830-665-6377 or luv2dancewhip@sbcglobal.net; or Martha Wall, at 210-213-5620 or marthajbwall@gmail.com. Please be sure to leave a message. You may also go to the WAA website at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/TX1147P or use the QR code provided below.
Look for an article in next week’s paper with information on ways to use our website to sponsor (fund) a wreath at other WAA cemeteries or to sign up for a wreath you’d like to take and place at another cemetery. Your sponsorships through the Current Events Club help our group support local and area non-profits. Thank you for supporting us as you honor and remember our veterans.

Lytle VFW invites you to “Honor a hero, preserve a legacy” and Support our Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post by purchasing a custom laser-engraved brick to be placed on the Memorial Wall near the flag poles at Lytle VFW.
Price: Introductory offer: $50.00 (4”x8”) or $65.00 (8”x8”) per brick if ordered by December 1st.
To place your order on-line please visit: donate.brickmarkers.com/lmvfw

The Current Events Club of Devine invites the community to join the Wreaths Across America ceremony on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Evergreen Cemetery and St. Joseph Cemetery.
This annual event honors our veterans by placing fresh evergreen wreaths on their graves — a simple but powerful way to Remember, Honor, and Teach.
You can sponsor a wreath for $17 online with a credit card at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/TX1147P. Each wreath sponsored through this link will be placed locally in Devine. You may also sponsor wreaths for any other WAA-participating cemetery by identifying that location by clicking “Choose a Specific Location” on the website.
Cash or check donations may be given to any Current Events Club member or arranged by calling Linda K. (830-665-6377) or Martha W. (210-213-5620).
Takeaway wreaths are also available for veterans not buried in participating cemeteries. Contact Linda K. or Martha W. for details.
Join us in helping ensure that no veteran is forgotten this holiday season.

The Bulk and Brush Pickup for the City of Devine has been moved to 17-21 of November 2025.
Starting last Friday, November 7 residents may start placing their brush and bulk pickup items out during the 10 day window.
The city is asking residents to have items out and ready for pickup by Monday, November 17 as the trucks will start the week long pickup cycle. See ad on page 2 for details.

The Devine First United Methodist Church will be holding a Bake Sale on Saturday, November 22 at Bushel & A Peck locate at 516 N. Teel Drive and the Driscoll Public Library parking lot located at 202 E. Hondo in Devine.
There will be sugar cookie decorating kits, cakes, cookies, brownies, pies, cupcakes and more available to purchase. Need a homemade pie for Thanksgiving? You can preorder a pumpkin, pecan or apple pie and pick it up on November 26th from 4 to 6 pm at the First United Methodist Church located at 212 W. Benton Ave in Devine. Please call Dez McElwee at 210-744-1978 or Robin Sultenfuss at 210-854-4443 to order. All orders must be pre-paid.
All proceeds will go towards the Devine First United Methodist youth attending Camp Eagle, which is a Christian camp that focuses on outdoor adventure, Biblical truth and lasting relationships.
Thank you for your support!

Natalia HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) along with the San Antonio food bank will be having a Food Drive on Friday, November 14 from 8am to 12pm at La Pasadita in Natalia.
Please drop off non-perishable items. Most needed items are rice, peanut butter, cereal, tuna, beans, mac and cheese, chili and soups, canned lunch meats, pet food, Pop Top food items, full meals can/box, baby food and diapers.
Contact Catherine Feltner at Catherine.feltner@nataliaisd.net with any questions.

WHAT: Lytle Community Cemetery and Lytle Masonic Cemetery, an official Wreaths Across America (WAA) location, will host a 1st Annual wreath-laying ceremony, joining more than 4,900 other locations across the country for National Wreaths Across America Day. Coordinated and led by local volunteers, sponsorship groups have raised funds throughout the year to sponsor the placement of 210 veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of our fallen service members laid to rest there. This annual event seeks to further the yearlong mission to Remember, Honor, Teach, ensuring that the memory of those who served our country endures.
WHEN: Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 11:00 am.
WHERE: The ceremony will be held at all 3 of the Lytle Cemeteries: Lytle Community Cemetery at 15309 Laredo St., also at the Masonic Cemetery and the Concepcion Cemetery.
Veterans, active service members and families For more information or to sponsor a wreath, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org Please use our Location ID: TXLTCC.
Franklin Wanjura, Jr. and Pam Wanjura accepted a donation check from Randy Garcia, President of Lytle State Bank for the 1st Annual Wreaths Across America ceremony for the Lytle Community in August.
“Franklin and I have helped with the Devine Wreaths Across America program for the last few years, and wanted to do this for our community. So together with other volunteers, we are working to cover the 210 wreaths that are needed for the 3 cemeteries,” stated Pam Wanjura. “We started back in January of this year going through records and talking to family members to find out if anyone had served that is buried in the three local cemeteries. It has taken a lot of time and patience.”
Local Contacts: Efrain Vasquez, (479) 925-0998, email: sergeantmajorpain88 @gmail.com; and Pam Wanjura, (210) 422-1875, email: pamwan @sbcglobal.net
The wreaths are $17.00 each and the Ceremony is slated for December 13, 2025 at 11:00 am.
About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, which was begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s yearlong mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.

Lytle VFW invites you to “Honor a hero, preserve a legacy” and Support our Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post by purchasing a custom laser-engraved brick to be placed on the Memorial Wall near the flag poles at Lytle VFW.
Price: Introductory offer: $50.00 (4”x8”) or $65.00 (8”x8”) per brick if ordered by December 1st.
To place your order on-line please visit: donate.brickmarkers.com/lmvfw