MOUNT VERNON –Trudy Debolt, a teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School, encourages her sixth-graders to support the U.S. War Dog Association (USWDA).

The project, in memory of dogs left behind in the Vietnam War after troops came home, is an annual tradition after students read "Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam."

Over the two-week donation period, students and their families put together 38 care packages, which were sent to South Korea, the Middle East and Guam, Debolt told the Mount Vernon News. Three dozen dog handlers are active in those locations. Those in the Middle East are special operations forces, hence the vague location information. The students' parents also chipped in $20.40 to ship each large, flat-rate box.

"Typically, people ship items to the association, and THEY ship to the handlers, since some are Special Forces," Debolt told the News in an email. "I was grateful to get the addresses so my students would know where their items would be delivered."

She said the first packages sent out went to South Korea, so there was time for the students to get a thank-you email and pictures before summer break.

"We could all use a 'feel good' story, and this would prove that the upcoming generation has a lot of love to give," Debolt said. "If 78 students can dedicate themselves to the happiness of dog handlers they will never meet, then our city should know how much kindness they have to offer."