Glass Half Full: City of Greeley’s online History Brown Bag special offer look at how citizens did their part to support the troops from 1917 to 1919

By Kelly Ragan

We’ve spent a year and some change hunkered down trying to do the right thing for the good of our country. At this point, we know how hard it is to make those kinds of sacrifices.

So do so many regular folks throughout history. On April 22, thanks to the City of Greeley’s online History Brown Bag series, you can be encouarged by the presentation “Pieces of Home: Supporting the Troops Past and Present.”

From 1917 to 1919, citizens produced more than 370 million items for troops and refugees. Popular posters during World War I were full of slogans like “Knit Your Bit” and “You Can Help,” encouraging people on the home front to make items to support the war effort.

Newspapers and magazines printed patterns for things like knitted wool socks and comfort kits that families could send overseas in care packages. Katie Ross and JoAnna Stull from the City of Greeley Museums will explore local efforts to support the troops during World War I and walk attendees through how to create their own comfort kit and care package for today’s troops.

Webinar participants are encouraged to log in a few minutes early for additional content from Greeley Museums. Visit greeleygov.com/hp to get the meeting login information to join the webinar.

To experience more military history, visit the Greeley History Museum, 714 8th St., for a new exhibition, “War Comes Home: The Legacy,”  on display until Sept. 25.

The Greeley Historic Preservation Commission hosts a History Brown Bag Series. These events are designed to provide the Greeley community more information on local, regional, national and worldwide history. The series continues to be presented as an online Zoom webinar until further notice.

For more

For more information, contact Elizabeth Kellums in the Greeley Historic Preservation Office at elizabeth.kellums@greeleygov.com or 970-350-9222. To learn more about Greeley’s Historic Preservation Program, visit greeleygov.com/hp.