TheBANK of Edwardsville Supporting Mission of Moms

• For soldiers serving overseas, the holidays can be the toughest time of the year. Deployed thousands of miles away from their loved ones, often in hostile environments, it can be difficult to find the comforts of home most of us take for granted.
  
  However, Marcia Fish and her non-profit organization – Mission of Moms – has been on a “mission” for the past eight years to change that, delivering comfort items to military members serving on deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
  
  Almost every day, Fish spends time in her basement or garage packing boxes with the 300 pounds of donated items she receives each week, readying them for mailing to individuals or units she has “adopted.” It started with one soldier, then three soldiers, then a platoon. Now there are thousands of military members who have, in one way or another, received something from her efforts.
  
  “I don’t golf … I pack boxes,” Fish said with a chuckle. “Instead of doing the things most people do, I pack boxes.”
  
  This holiday season, Mission of Moms is getting help from TheBANK of Edwardsville. Beginning November 9 and lasting through December 23, TheBANK’s Edwardsville Center on Troy Road will be accepting donations of supplies for care packages for the troops. The Edwardsville Center will also accept letters to the troops – a highlight for many of the soldiers – as well as donations for postage through December 9. Edwardsville School District 7 is joining in the effort with TheBANK of Edwardsville, asking students to write letters to the soldiers for distribution by Mission of Moms.
  
  “I can’t think of a better organization to get behind during the holidays than Mission of Moms,” said Dawn Schmidt, Manager of TheBANK’s Edwardsville Center on Troy Road. “These people put their lives on the line for us every day and they deserve all the support from home that we can give them.”
  
  According to Fish, it takes help from businesses like TheBANK of Edwardsville as well as other organizations and individuals throughout the local communities to make it all happen.
  
  “I’m just the worker bee,” she said. “It takes the whole community to do what we do.”
  
  The list of needed items is a long one, and can be found on the Mission of Moms website at www.missionofmoms.com. But Fish said it’s basic items – like cotton socks, beef jerky and candy left over from Halloween – that are big hits during the holiday season.
  
  “It’s the basic items that really come in handy,” she said. “If you think about it, these soldiers can’t just stop by Walmart to get the things they need like the rest of us. A lot of them have families that send them stuff, but a lot don’t. Those that don’t shouldn’t have to go without.”
  
  Fish’s efforts don’t go unnoticed by the soldiers that receive her care boxes and letters. She has collected hundreds of photos and messages from the soldiers thanking her for the help.
  
  “They get a big kick out of getting this stuff and, most importantly, from knowing that they’re not forgotten,” Fish said.
  
  To donate to Mission of Moms at TheBANK of Edwardsville this holiday season, simply stop by the Edwardsville Center at 2400 Troy Road. TheBANK will be accepting donations of items through December 23 and letters and money for postage through December 9.
  
  To find out more about Mission of Moms or to see the list of donated items needed, visit www.missionofmoms.com or contact Fish at marciafish@sbcglobal.net.