Blankets of Hope for the troops stolen: Please help!

Photo via Soldier’s Angels Germany

This story has me cursing in my coffee this morning: Linda Ferrara, a California mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan with three other sons in the military, organizes charity blanket drives for the troops. She and other volunteers hand-sewed patriotic blankets and other items worth an estimated $8,000. Ferrara had stored them in her RV while preparing to send them off. Over the weekend, some asshole(s) (pardon my language) broke into the vehicle and stole all the goods.

The story is here at Soldier’s Angels and at the Daily Breeze.

After her son died fighting country, Linda Ferrara wanted to do something
for soldiers like him who sacrifice their safety for others.

So in the year since Army Capt. Matthew Ferrara was killed in
Afghanistan, his mother has dedicated hours collecting clothes and crafting
handmade blankets for wounded soldiers overseas. The Torrance resident had
planned to ship the goods Wednesday to an Army hospital in Germany. Instead,
she’s despondent over the weekend theft of hundreds of socks, sweat shirts,
pajama pants, boxers, blankets and other items. “I don’t want to let them down,”
Ferrara said. “This wasn’t just stuff, this was going to wounded soldiers.”
…Soldiers’ Angels is an organization through which people can send care
packages to soldiers overseas. In Germany, Phillips supports wounded and sick
troops undergoing treatment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

Many of them are transferred there directly from the front lines and
have nothing more than the clothes on their backs, Ferrara said.
Already involved with the West Point Parents Club of Orange County, Ferrara recruited support from other parents and volunteers to collect items for the wounded soldiers. Her RV was packed with boxes, and the Parents Club had printed thank-you letters to the “wounded warriors” to be distributed with the clothes.
On Sunday morning, Ferrara first realized something was amiss when she found
empty boxes outside the RV and her inventory lists on the ground. Inside, she
discovered almost all the collected items missing. Also, some of the letters
were torn to shreds.
Compton sheriff’s deputies took a report and fingerprints, she said. Her insurance company has told her not to expect help. Because she planned to give the items away, they technically didn’t belong to her and aren’t covered by her policy.

You can help:

Anyone who is interested in donating items for wounded soldiers can email Linda
Ferrara at or visit the West Point Parent Club of Orange County web site.
Ferrara says the organization can accept cash donations or brand new items
because the Military hospital does not allow used goods.