Tracy Harris-Staff Writer & Barbara Blackmore-Moms on a Mission
Imagine being in a faraway land defending your country’s freedoms and receiving a care package from back home. What a morale boost to know that you are thought about, supported, and appreciated by your community. For many soldiers, this is the first time they have been away from home. The reassurance that family and friends support them goes a long way in making them feel they made the right decision when they enlisted.
Moms on a Mission’s goal is to get the community involved in showing hometown support to military members. The group is made up of a few moms and it started right here in Marshall County in 2005. Since then, they have sent over 3,000 care packages worldwide to what they call their Hometown Heroes.
These care packages are not your typical ones filled with hygiene items unless those are requested by a soldier. The ones packed by Moms on a Mission are carefully prepared and represent a piece of home, each one unique, with a lot of thought and time put into it. There is usually a theme each time the packages are shipped out. Once, they did a picnic theme that included a checkered tablecloth, Vienna sausages, watermelon bubblegum, lemonade packs, a paper plate, beanie weenies, and a bag of corn nuts.
Holidays are extra special though. Barbara “Barb” Blackmore, said, “When we first started this, we sent five-foot live Christmas trees. I get chills just thinking about it. Imagine being in Iraq or Afghanistan where it’s just desert with no trees or anything. I had one soldier tell me, ‘We opened that box and just smelled it. It smelled so good.’ Schoolkids made ornaments. We went to businesses and they provided the lights. That’s what we do, we go around and get donations.”
Local students and Sunday school classes make cards and write letters to put inside the care boxes. Local businesses donate shipping boxes, the money to cover postage, and even items to go in the care packages. Veterans who have received packages donate back to Moms on a Mission because they were so moved when received care packages while they were deployed.
The hardest part of the mission is getting names and addresses of deployed military members. Volunteers do not have special connections or lists telling them who Marshall County Veterans are, when they are deployed, or where they are stationed.
They actually depend on YOU to tell THEM. So, how can you do that?
If you have a military member that is a friend or family member or know someone who does, who has Marshall County connections, and who is currently deployed, please contact Moms on a Mission so they can include them. The fastest way to reach Moms on a Mission is their Facebook page under that name – Moms on a Mission. Please do not leave soldiers’ names and/or addresses on their page. They prefer soldiers’ information to go directly to their Facebook messages.
If you do not have Facebook, you can email mrsbakemore@yahoo.com which will go directly to Blackmore.
Marshall County has always been a very generous and supportive community when it comes to showing up for hometown military heroes. Veterans often say they feel loved and appreciated in Marshall County, whether it’s at parades, holidays, festivals, or out at stores and restaurants.
Moms on a Mission wants them to feel the same warmth, love, and appreciation while they are deployed. So, donations are always appreciated. Any amount can help Moms on a Mission create care packages. They accept donations via Venmo at Barbara-Blackmore-2 or you can contact them to arrange to donate directly.
“We thank you for always being helpful in our mission! We cannot do this without you! We depend upon your generosity to continue our mission to let our military members from our county know that we support them and they will NEVER be forgotten.”– Moms on a Mission
