Generosity Touches Military Families This Holiday Season

For the majority of Americans, the holidays are a joyous time to gather with friends and family. Contrast that with the holiday experience for many military families: an empty seat at the dinner table–either due to , inability to travel home because of , or in the worst case scenario, because the ultimate sacrifice was paid.

This is not to imply that military families do not enjoy the holidays or that civilian families do not experience absence as well. It just highlights another routine sacrifice service members and their families proudly make for their country.

Here on Coronado, thanks to the generosity of the Coronado Junior Woman's Club (CJWC) and the Monday Nite Car Club, the sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. These two groups thanked military families in big ways this holiday season.

On Wednesday, the CJWC delivered 20 baby baskets—baby bathtubs filled with newborn necessities—to Coronado-based Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 41.

Co-chairs of the drive, Julie Goodwin and Celestina Ford, organized the effort. Thanks to donations from the approximately 45 women in the group, their friends, and cash contributions from and , CJWC was able to fill the bathtubs with diapers, formula, bottles, wipes, receiving blankets, bibs, burp cloths and diaper rash ointment. Also included was a free mini photography session at Just Hatched Photography with photographer Melissa Perkins-Weisbrod, a member of CJWC.

Deann Brown, president of CJWC, said the group got connected to this squadron a couple of years ago when they were looking to give back to the military community during the holidays.

"We learned that this is a nondeploying helicopter squadron and because they're nondeploying, they get a lot of sailors who are physically unable to deploy," said Brown. "That being said, they get a lot of pregnant sailors."

When they learned of the great need, they decided to help out, starting with 10 baskets last year and 20 this year.

CJWC's mission is to raise funds for women and children in need, so supporting the pregnant sailors and pregnant wives of sailors is, according to Brown, very important to the entire group. And, being a retired Navy wife herself, Brown and other CJWC military spouses understand the needs of military families.

"Those of us that have been in the military or around it just by living here in [Coronado], we all know that [the sailors] really don't make very much money," Brown said. "And to be stationed in an expensive place like San Diego, it's just very difficult to make basic ends meet."

Early Wednesday morning, the squadron's commanding officer and executive officer gratefully received the beautifully wrapped baby baskets.

Also this past week, Naval Base Coronado held an annual toy drive where sailors and deployed sailors' spouses could pick out gifts for their children. The Monday Nite Car Club, a classic car enthusiast group, donated about 550 toys, valued at about $2500, toward the cause.

"This year, we got a bike, soccer balls, footballs, Barbies, stuffed animals, Nerf guns: These are all brand new toys," said Religious Program Specialist First Class Maria Pedraza, who worked with Monday Nite Car Club representative George Griffin on the toy drive.

Every year, the Monday Nite Car Club hosts an annual toy drive and car show. This year, it was in Alpine. "We had a good turnout," Pedraza said. "People would just come by, look at cars and donate toys. The car club raised $1,000 and went out and purchased toys themselves."

Pedraza said the drive was open to single parents, junior sailors and spouses of deployed sailors. About 40 sailors participated.

The remaining toys will reach more children. "We're thinking about joining forces with the chaplain because they just deployed," she added.

When asked what this toy drive and large donation from the community meant, Pedraza said, "It's something to let anyone wearing the uniform and their families know that people are thinking about us, and care about us, and our families."

Even though military families may experience some hardship this holiday season, including pregnancies on tight budgets and empty seats at the dinner table, the generosity from the larger community is a touching reminder that the sacrifice is appreciated.