Members of women's clubs throughout the Northern Panhandle want U.S. troops to know they aren't forgotten.

Nine clubs affiliated with the General Federation of Woman's Clubs have made plans to send care packages, Christmas stockings and patriotic banners to servicemen and women deployed to the Middle East.

The red, white and blue banners, each bearing a yellow ribbon, were designed by Sherry Richardson, arts and crafts chairman for the 20th Century Woman's Club of Follansbee.

"We just want them to know we're thinking of them and hoping for their safe return," said Richardson, who was among members of the 20th Century and Bethany woman's clubs who gathered recently at Follansbee Presbyterian Church to sew them.

If the banners seem familiar, it may be because Richardson was involved when the club displayed thousands of banners with a similar pattern for troops serving in the Persian Gulf War.

But she stressed this effort involves all nine of the GFWC clubs in the Northern Panhandle.

"All of the clubs are involved, if not with the banners, then with the boxes and stockings," Richardson said.

The banners were displayed at the GFWC-West Virginia Northern District Convention held at the Mountainside Conference Center near Bethany last week.

The district includes clubs from Chester, New Cumberland, Weirton, Warwood, Wheeling, McMechen and Moundsville.

The clubs also are collecting items for care packages and Christmas stockings to be distributed to the troops through Boatsie's Boxes.

Founded by Gail "Boatsie" Van Vrancken, Boatsie's Boxes is a Wheeling-based group that collects and distributes, with support from the Department of Defense, care packages to servicemen and women overseas.

Helen Moren, president of the Bethany Woman's Club, said collecting care packages for distribution by the group has become a statewide project involving clubs throughout West Virginia.