COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Hundreds of boxes filled with necessities are being shipped off to our military overseas as part of a holiday packing program. It’s all part of a program by a local Blue Star Mothers group – they actually send out more than 2,400 boxes a year.
NBC4’s Elyse Chengery spent the day in Worthington with the local Blue Star Mothers group who makes sure each item is sent with love from home. Dozens of volunteers packed up boxes with toiletries, canned goods, and even some holiday items.
“It tugs at our heart strings to think of them over there without a touch of home,” says Deborah Waltz, a Blue Star Mother.
Mothers and volunteers come together as part of the local Blue Star Mothers group who do four packings a year. They send packages overseas to Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, Turkey, and Kuwait, among others.
Karen Stillwell’s son has been deployed three time and says the holidays are an especially difficult time to be away from family.
“We send boxes all year round, but just comforts of home, Girl Scout cookies, beef jerky, Halloween candy, Christmas candy.”
The mothers show a whole book of thank you cards that they received from our military overseas as Stillwell says, “It makes us feel special so guess what, we want to come back here and do more to show them we care.”
The group collects donations all year round to make the packages possible. Their mission is to support active military, veterans, Gold Star families and all deployed soldiers.
“It’s just amazing what they say to us. We’re heroes to them but yet they are heroes to us,” says Blue Star Mother Karen Stillwell.
“My son is a veteran now, he’s on the other side, and I just pray that these mothers who have soldiers and sailors and airmen and Coasties and Marines who are in harm’s way, we’re praying for them and hope they can come home safely,” Blue Star Mother Deborah Waltz.
More than 500 filled boxes were placed inside a UPS truck on Saturday, hoping to place a smile on military members’ faces this holiday season as they serve our country overseas.
To learn more about the local Blue Star Mothers group or to make a donation and find a list of items they accept to send overseas, visit http://www.buckeyemilitarymoms.org/index.html