GREEN RIVER — Green River’s P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) Chapter AY stuffed Christmas stockings during their annual Christmas party Monday to donate to the residents at Mission at Castle Rock Rehabilitation Center and The Villa.

The group is donating around 70 stockings, ensuring each of the residents get one. Chapter President Marilyn Dockter, who used to work at Mission at Castle Rock, said that the organization has been donating stockings for a minimum of five years, but probably longer.

Before the stockings, they participated in Mission at Castle Rock’s Secret Santa, in which they’d each draw a name of a resident and would buy the items on that residents’ wishlist.

However, Dockter said that a lot of community members enjoy doing the Secret Santa so they switched to the stockings. The stockings are given to the residents as a surprise on Christmas morning.

“They’re kind of like kids on Christmas morning. So they put all these stockings on the residents’ beds so that they have something to open Christmas morning,” Dockter said.

The stockings are stuffed full of items like coloring books and colored pencils, word find books, chapstick, bottled water and snacks, candy canes, tissues, non-slip socks, and more.

“It’s just great, great, great. It’s such a good feeling,” Dockter said.

P.E.O. member Charla Harris said that they enjoy getting opportunities each year to give back to the community. She said one year they also did Christmas for a family in need through the Child Development Center. Additionally, the group plants flowers for the residents of Mansface Terrace each year around Mother’s Day.

P.E.O. is an international sisterhood that is dedicated to educating women nationally and globally. The Green River chapter participates in fundraising efforts to provide scholarships for local women to receive an education at all levels.