St. Mary of the Angels
645 S. Irwin Ave.
Green Bay WI 54301
(920) 437-1979
kids-in-afghanistan
In September of 2009 we held a campaign to collect beanie babies and other items to be sent to the children in Afghanistan. David Martens, who was a medic serving in Afghanistan and also a former parishioner of St. Mary of the Angels, sent a request for beanie baby type toys and blankets. Toys are distributed to the children by the soldiers to win their confidence and make them feel comfortable with the soldiers. Because this was a big undertaking and we only had a short time frame in which to complete it, we solicited the help of Steve Herro, who works with the diocesan Social Concerns committee. He in turn, enlisted other parishes and "A Better Footprint" to help with the campaign. As a result of this joint effort we were able to ship 85 boxes to Afghanistan. These boxes included: 3,346 beanie babies and other stuffed animals, 124 puzzles, 230 blankets, and 252 miscellaneous items such as balls, gloves, hats, socks etc.
In about 2 weeks the boxes arrived in Afghanistan. David sent an email thanking us for all of our efforts and support. He indicated in his email that his med shed was packed with beanie babies. he had already visited 2 main schools, a couple of hospitals and some other remote villages and had distributed blankets and toys to the children.
Below you will find a few of the pictures that he sent showing the kids of Afghanistan receiving toys. To make the pictures larger, click in the center of the picture.
