Berkeley Soldiers are prepared to face challenges we cannot even imagine and to withstand the most extreme conditions. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t occasionally require a little assistance.
For over twenty years, Lloyd Mullikan has been sending boxes of supplies to soldiers. He gets money from companies, people, and neighborhood organizations. Some of the troops on his list are the offspring or grandchildren of people he knows. He can then use that individual as his contact information.
His house is lined with boxes, and there are more in the outbuildings and garage. Everything a soldier may require is included within. In a sort of before-and-after, toothbrushes and toothpaste are shipped in the same box as candies. Because they are portable, travel-sized products are essential. Wet wipes are quite helpful.
He said, “This is top shelf stuff,” while displaying a few name-brand items.
Since troops are constantly on the run, jerky is popular because it offers protein in the form of a quick snack. He has discovered that tea is bad for hot regions since it increases urination when you should be retaining water in your body. To keep their shoes fresh, soldiers place dryer sheets inside. The need for feminine hygiene products has increased.
He has been purchasing t-shirts from Goodwill. “It gives you something to wear that’s not military when you’re off duty,” he remarked. It’s not much, but it makes a difference.
There are some things there only for the sake of morale. For a spa day, a variety of cosmetics might be utilized. Due to their extreme isolation, CDs, DVDs, books, and comic books are helpful. The base could not have any means of streaming digital entertainment, even though CDs and DVDs may be outdated back home. It helps individuals forget about their current location.
Games and puzzles do more than just kill time; they give soldiers something to do when they’re not on duty. He has also used a pump to send some balls after deflating them.
Since many of these soldiers don’t observe regular hours, the kitchen may be closed when they return to camp. You get a lot out of a can of soup or tuna.
People give chocolate, but it doesn’t make it to the Middle East, where summer temperatures are scorching. Military personnel stationed in Europe may receive that.
He prepared some kosher food and sent it to a rabbi. The rabbi was ecstatic and said that it was good to get a considerate package from someone from Ocean County and that he had studied in Lakewood.
Certain donations would not ship well or are inappropriate. Those items wind up at local food pantries or veterans’ homes.
He sends certain troops to live in tents, often in extremely substandard conditions. They are also occasionally unable to have easy access to basic requirements of life and eat regular meals due to the nature of their mission.
The logistics of deploying troops and equipment to support particular causes make up a large portion of the military. Mullikan has logistical challenges of his own. It is important to monitor the demands of individual soldiers. People in the United States have loved ones with these names. They supply the contact details, which are not made public.
Djibouti, Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, and even a Navy ship at sea are among the places on a recent list.
He keeps the Christmas gifts that people give him in December until the next autumn. He will then mail them blank Christmas cards to complete and return home. It takes one month to travel there and return. After the holiday, he and his spouse purchase decorations, which they keep for the most of the year.
He related how, coincidentally, one of his gifts, filled with lights and ornaments, came the following day after a base held a Christmas decorating contest.
Lloyd is careful to point out that he is only one of many persons helping veterans, even though he does the majority of the job. He expresses gratitude to his wife, Cecilia, for her assistance with this enormous project. For shipping, even his mother separates stuff.
He informs them of the origin of each letter by tucking it into the box. Additionally, the letter asks whether they have any specific desires. A significant amount of Arm & Hammer merchandise is donated by Church & Dwight’s Lakewood branch. At their hospitals, Hackensack Meridian collects. Vacation City A team of bakers at Berkeley makes sure that soldiers receive freshly baked cookies. They are knitted by another group. Some nearby include Central Regional Schools, Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore or Berkeley, and Daughters of the American Revolution. Some, like Burlington’s Frito-Lay, are a little farther away.
Old cell phones are gathered by Nancy Seibert and taken to a recycler as part of her Cell Phones For Soldiers initiative. She receives phone cards that are sent along in return.
It should come as no surprise that many of his donors had been in the military and understand what it’s like, he said.
