MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina and other volunteers are filling 102 boxes with food, toiletries and gifts for Christmas, but the presents won’t be going under the tree. Instead, they’ll be shipped thousands if miles away to the military overseas.
“It costs us a little bit of time and effort but that’s it, and it’s well worth it,” Carol Dion, a Blue Star Mother said.
The Blue Star Mothers have been packing up holiday boxes for military personnel overseas for 10 years.
All of the items, from the socks to the candy, are donated, however, each box costs about $18 to send. The Blue Star Mothers say the pictures, thank you cards and emails they receive back make it worth while each time.
“It’s the feeling; it’s knowing that somebody someplace is gonna open up one of these boxes and go, ‘man, who are these people? I wonder how they got my name,’ and then look at all of the stuff and share it with all of their friends,” Dion said.
Douglas Brust, a Marine, was one of many who were overseas last year and received a box from the Blue Star Mothers.
“There was enough stuff to give to my batoon members and everything, so it was nice. It was a good gift for the holidays,” Brust said.
This year, he’s packing some boxes for his friends who are serving overseas.
“It was really nice to be able to send something to him and his friends when they were deployed so they know we’re still thinking about them when they’re away,” Brust’s dad said.
“It’s gonna mean a smile on their face, even if it’s only for 20 minutes, we know that we put a smile on a couple people’s faces across the globe,” Dion said.