For the second year in a row, volunteers from the SNAP community laid wreaths at the grave sites of Hingham Veterans. This year, 1,350 wreaths were placed, up from 550 last year.
Donations from various community members and organizations raised the $13,500 to purchase the wreaths. The 153 boxes arrived last week and were stored at Lynch Fieldhouse, home to Hingham Little League and Hingham Youth Football.
Debbie and Tom "Hoffy" Hoffman brought this idea to fruition in Hingham last year. As treasurer of SNAP, Hoffy enlisted the help of the SNAP community and Hingham's Veterans Service Officer Keith Jermyn to place wreaths at the High Street Cemetery last December. This year, Daughter's of the American Revoultion placed 280 wreaths at Fort Hill Cemetery in partnership with SNAP.
There are over 3,600 graves in Hingham of men and women who served this country. They are spread out over six cemeteries across town. This year, St. Paul's Cemetery was included along with High Street Cemetery to place the wreaths. Next year, the event takes place on December 17, 2022 where wreaths will be placed at Old Ship Cemetery, Hingham Centre Cemetery, and Liberty Plain Cemetery.
Nationwide, over 2.4 million wreaths were placed in 3,136 different sites in all 50 states. This was the 30th year for this event. Over 70 volunteers, of all ages, spent Saturday morning identifying and placing wreaths honoring Hingham's Veterans.
Donations for next year can be made directly on the Wreaths Across America site here, or sent to SNAP at South Shore Snap, P.O.Box 48, Hingham, Ma 02043.