‘Sending a little piece of home’: Lincoln military moms send care packages to deployed troops

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Blue Stars Mothers of America are showing their support for the military men and women serving across the globe.

“We are the Blue Star Moms, Nebraska chapter two,” member Stephanie Campbell said. “Three to four times a year we send care packages to deployed service members overseas and it is all done through donations, we can not do any of this without donations. It’s just sending a little piece of home to the troops that are overseas.”

The organization is made up of nearly 6,000 mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers and female legal guardians of children who are in the military, national guard, or are veterans.

The Nebraska chapter meets on the second Sunday of every month at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building on N 48th St in Lincoln.

Campbell said this is a wonderful opportunity to stay connected with family during tough times, even when they are thousands of miles away from home.

“When your loved one’s away and you can’t reach them or have contact with them, this is a way of feeling closer to them,” she said.

Many local businesses in the Lincoln area have pitched in as well by donating money or items for the care packages.

Last month, Smoking Gun Jerky teamed up with Nebraska Auto Detail to collect jerky for the deployed troops.

“We do donations through employers and different businesses donate food items and jerky,” Campbell said. “We are pleasantly surprised, the amount of support from people just giving jerky for troops.”

She said without this group, she doesn’t know if she would be able to get through the stress of being away from her own son, who is an active military member.

“It is definitely a support group,” Campbell said. without this group I don’t know if I would have gotten through three deployments with my kid.”

If you are interested in donating or getting involved with the Nebraska Chapter, you can visit their website here.