Operation Love Letter set to launch in November; uniting a community one letter at a time

A simple letter to know they are not forgotten; a couple of lines to let someone know they are not alone; two simple concepts that make up the mission behind Operation Love Letter. One local Big Spring resident and small business owner, Jay Flores had an idea and is asking the community to step in and drive the support of the vision.

“I was talking to one of my friends who lives in Knott. He’s an older gentleman, and he has a daughter living in Canterbury. After visiting with him and hearing his stories and some stories from others of how their loved ones in the nursing facilities have been cut off from the outside world, I wanted to do something,” Flores, Operation Love Letter founder, said.

In the next week or so, around Nov. 2, drop off buckets will be placed around Big Spring. Currently there are local elementary schools, churches and other businesses decorating the buckets to be placed. While the project is barely launching, the support Flores has received from the community is overwhelming.

“This was merely an idea I had and it is taking off quickly,” he said. “I have had businesses like Ace Hardware, Higginbothams, Sherwin Williams were gracious to donate the 5-gallon buckets that we will be placing around town; local schools are helping to decorate and even more businesses have said I can place a bucket at their office.”

There will be more than 18 drop off locations throughout Big Spring and Howard County including: The Big Spring Police Department/howard County Sheriff’s Office, Pampered Paws, Howard College, Spring Creek Mall, Dance Lab, Superrod, Wild Space Tattoo, Partee Enterprise, Rachel Grill Realtor, Wells Fargo, State National Bank, Los Amigos Bar and Grill, Gold Rush, Sleep Inn and Mainstay Hotel, and the businesses who donated buckets to the project.

“This project will only succeed if we unify; together we can make a different in these people’s lives. One scripture that struck a cord for this project is Matthew 25:40 - ‘The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me,’” Flores said. “This is one of the ways we can unify together as a community and honestly, what better time than now to do that.”

The letters that are dropped off in the buckets around town will be distributed to the nursing facilities and veteran’s homes in the community. When addressing the letters, Flores recommends that they are penned “Dear Friend”. At this point, the goal is to distribute letters every two weeks to the facilities. Super Rod is working on creating banners that will be provided to each of the facilities who are taking part in Operation Love Letter.

To find out more or to reach out to Flores and offer more support, visit the Operation Love Letters Facebook page.