Ellen Jackson was honored by the Mineola Pilot Club as Humanitarian of the Year at their annual installation banquet last week.

President Loraine Epps presented the award which is usually presented at the Mineola Chamber of Commerce Banquet, which was canceled.

Ellen’s grandfather, father, husband and son were all in the military. When her son mentioned there were men and women in the service around the world who never received anything from home, Ellen decided to change that. 

She is an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Mineola where she organized a ministry that ships packages of needed items to armed forces at Christmas. 

Her “elves” receive donations, shop and assemble boxes of goodies with personal notes.

One recipient wrote, “We want you to know how appreciative we are of all the things that were sent to us. It’s a hard road for us over here, especially during the holidays and being away from our families is really tough. But the goodies and gifts made everyone feel like getting into the holiday spirit. Thank you for your support. You will always have a place in our heart. God bless you.”

Ellen is also in the Study Club and a member of DAR.