EAST COUNTY RESIDENT ORGANIZES DRIVE TO SEND CARE PACKAGES TO AMERICAN SOLDIERS SERVING IN COMBAT ZONES

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

By Marisa Kezirian

July 26, 2009 —East County resident Roberta Mattice has begun a heartfelt program to provide care packages for American troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Postal Service, and the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary as part of Operation America Supports You.

 

Care packages contain basic necessities to which our soldiers often don’t have access. Many soldiers have no families or any kind of support, so the care packages are usually the only mail they receive, said Mattice. In an interview with East County Magazine, she shared her experiences and the tremendous effect this rewarding process has had on her life.

“Believe it or not, it fills my heart,” stated Mattice. “I am so proud and honored that so many people are willing to help us in so many ways. It's been six years,” she said, adding that she frequently hears from the men and women who receive the care boxes. “They thank us for remembering them and remembering that they have been altered from their everyday lives to serve our country, and us,” she said. “I am humbled by the experience.”

Through the efforts of different organizations, even Girl Scouts sending cookies to the troops, Mattice found out about the need for sending care packages to soldiers. “I eventually heard about people with family members serving and how they were sending care packages to them and their units…From word of mouth, I eventually found a source for contacts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Mattice. “I've been wanting to communicate with troops since the beginning of the war, six years ago, to send both cards and letters of support. I grew up in a military family, and know the importance of these men and women who are away from their families and friends. When I was a child, my father would bring home soldiers from the local Army base to spend holiday dinners with our family.”

 

Also involved in the effort is Mattice’s sister, Linda Millimaki. The two began by gaining support from friends, co-workers, and family members, and now their support system has truly blossomed. So far, three mailings have been sent overseas. The first mailing was sent in December 2008, a Christmas theme, followed by an Easter theme, and a 4th of July theme mailing. “Even some of our business contacts have joined the movement,” said Mattice. “Our last mailing was 75 boxes, versus the 35 we started with last December. We now have gained support by word of mouth and from total strangers. Also, as a member of the American Legion's Women's Auxiliary, I have garnered the support of several of the San Diego County's units. And, in fact, the company I work for, America's Vacation Center, was generous enough to cover the postage of our very first mailing.”

 

When talking with Mattice, East County Magazine inquired: Have you received any thank you cards or stories from any soldiers or families that you have helped thus far?

“Yes, we have,” said Mattice. “One of the addresses that we sent boxes to was a soldier whose family lives in Temecula. Linda is now a pen pal with him. I have a pen pal as well, and he has actually called my house twice, but I wasn't home either time! His last message was to tell me he thought he was coming stateside. One of my American Legion friends wrote several cards for me to put in the boxes and a soldier tracked her down on the website and sent her a thank you email. Recently, one of the Army chaplains, whose name we got from a local church, sent myself and my two sisters, Linda Millimaki and Darles Wilde, a coin from their company. He explained to us that the coin was given as a Medal. It is quite an honor!”

For more information on helping this effort by donating items or sending cash contributions please contact: sistersandfriends@yahoo.com.

Marisa Kezirian is a student at San Diego State University and an intern with East County Magazine.

 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.