April 3, 2003
Greens headed for military families By NORA K. WALLACE First there was Operation Iraqi Freedom. Then came Operation Salad for Soldiers. After watching a news program about the financial hardships experienced by some families of deployed soldiers, Santa Maria farmer Stan Otremba decided to help out. So he created "Operation Salad for Soldiers," which will deliver an estimated 30,000 pounds -- about 26 pallets of boxed produce -- to military families in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Diego counties. "When their significant other goes off (to war), they're impacted financially," Mr. Otremba said. "I thought, 'There's gotta be something we can do.' " At various distribution places on Friday, families of active duty and reservists with valid military identification will receive bags of fresh broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower and beans. "It's enough food for 6,500 people," said Mr. Otremba, who works for BoniPak of Santa Maria. "It's all being cut fresh. It's not second-hand. It's first-grade, not surplus."
"This is our way of saying 'thanks' to the families of our men and women serving in various branches of the U.S. military," Mr. Otremba said. "We want them to know that we support our troops and there is no better way for farmers to show that support than to share some of the bounty from our farmland." The food will be handed out locally from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday. In Santa Maria, military members or their families can go to the Santa Maria Fairpark, 937 S. Thornburg St., or the Vandenberg Village shopping center, 3734 Constellation Road. There are no South Coast distribution areas. In Ventura County, the food will distributed through FoodSource of Oxnard, at 4156 N. Southbank Blvd. It is unknown how many local people will take advantage of the offer. At Vandenberg, there are about 200 people deployed to the war and other places worldwide. There are also large contingents of California National Guard members and military reservists in the county. Teri Bontrager, executive director of the county Farm Bureau, is helping coordinate the distribution. "We equate soldiers with making big sacrifices by going over there, and we forget about the families and sacrifices they make," Ms. Bontrager said. The proffered produce is appreciated by those serving at Vandenberg. "Recently here at Vandenberg we've been dealing with things like a protester throwing blood on our sign and antiwar protesters outside our gate screaming that we're murderers and war criminals," said 2nd Lt. Kelly Gabel, a base spokeswoman. "The support that comes from an effort like Salads for Soldiers is immeasurable -- to know that there are so many people here in the local community who stand behind us as we serve this nation we love. It really means so much to us and to our families." |
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