Felton residents Shannon Curtis and Kim Monack saw a local need and filled it. Both women are mothers of military servicemen and felt the area was missing out on an important aspect of America’s patriotic duty.
Last October, the two started the Santa Cruz Chapter of Blue Star Moms, a support group for mothers and their family members serving in the United States Armed Forces.
The group raises money to ship care packages, letters and supplies to units overseas.
“Most of the fundraising goes into shipping,” Monack said. “It cost $13 just to ship a care package to Afghanistan — that is $1,300 just to ship 100 care packages, not including the costs to fill them with the needed items.”
Monack has two sons, Frank and Tommy Monack, in the Army.
Blue Star Moms also works with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars group to support veterans and plan homecoming ceremonies for troops returning from overseas and supports families going through the blue-to-gold process.
(When a soldier goes off to war, the Blue Star tradition since World War II is that the family holds a blue star in the window for each family member overseas. When a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine dies, the blue star is laced with gold, to signify the sacrifice.)
One of the hardest parts about being a military mother, Curtis said, is not knowing where her child is, what he is doing or even if he is all right
“Every mother finds a way to adjust,” Curtis said “At each meeting, we have three or four moms in tears. It’s wonderful to have other people who know what you are going through, to be able to talk to people that understand even just the lingo. It is very comforting.”
Shannon’s son, Jessie Curtis, is an airman in the Air Force.
The group, to date, consists of about 20 local area women who send packages to about 100 service members.
They meet at 6 p.m. the last Thursday of each month at the VFW post, 2259 Seventh Ave., in Santa Cruz.
Care package ideas:
**Baby wipes (field showers)
**Gold Bond medicated powder
**Tylenol and Advil
** Sunscreen
** Lip balm
** Cotton swabs (big boxes; used for cleaning weapons)
** Razors and shaving cream
** Fast-food hot sauce packets
** Pre-sweetened powdered drinks (Gatorade, hot chocolate, coffee, tea)
** Canned cheese
**Playing cards
** Cribbage boards and games
**Thumbtacks
**Postcards and stamps
**Old or new DVD movies
**Sunflower seeds
INFO: www.santacruzbluestarmoms.com
