By LOIS KINDLE
June 9, 2016 — The SouthShore Chamber of Commerce has formed a new Military Affairs Committee with a mission of showing support for deployed members of the military, their families and veterans, and to honor those who have fallen in service to the country.
The 14-member group initially met last month to brainstorm on special projects it could tackle to achieve those goals. Its first endeavor, now underway, is to conduct a public collection drive to supply deployment packages of items needed by active duty military men and women from the South Shore area currently serving overseas.
“We’re not really reinventing the wheel with this project,” said Melanie Morrison, the chamber’s executive director. “We realize there are many groups who do such drives for the military. South Shore has a lot of military people, and the community always responds in a big way when asked. It has never let us down.”
Requested donations include shampoo, lip balm, sunscreen and disposable razors; small packets of mustard, relish, hot sauce and ketchup, coffee, powdered drink mix, beef jerky and nuts; and soap, eyedrops, feminine hygiene products, baby wipes, toothpaste and toothbrushes. They can be dropped off between now and July 6 at the following locations:
• SouthShore Chamber of Commerce, 137 Harbor Village Drive, Apollo Beach
• Crossfit Apogee, 7130 Big Bend Road, Apollo Beach
• Waterset, 7012 Sail View Drive, Apollo Beach
• Weichert Realtors Yates & Associates, 6160 U.S. 41 N., Apollo Beach
• Keller Williams Realty, 109 Harbor Village Drive, Apollo Beach
• Firehouse Cultural Center, 101 First Ave. N.E., Ruskin
• Champion Self Storage, 2809 College Ave. E., Ruskin
• Liberty Tax, 315 U.S. 41 N., Ruskin
• Siempre Tax, 702 Railroad St., Wimauma
Active duty military members deployed overseas will soon receive packages of items donated by South Shore residents and businesses, thanks to a drive being conducted by the SouthShore Chamber’s new Military Affairs Committee.
Once the drive has ended, the items will be taken to MacDill Air Force Base, where they will be flown to deployed individuals and units, said committee member Don Moss, owner of Crossfit Apogee.
“They will be open [CARE-type] boxes, where military members can simply take whatever they need,” he said.
In addition to the collection drive, Morrison said the committee has three other areas of focus. These include providing resources, discounts and other forms of assistance to the South Shore families of deployed military; approaching the Hillsborough County School Board about making 9/11 a recognized day in the county’s public schools, including education on the events of that day and how the tragedy continues to affect us; looking into working with HART on setting up a direct bus route from South Shore to MacDill for military members and their families.
Current committee members include both civilians and members of the military: Tony Zipperer, Ron Simpson, Mario Harris, Joe Kilgore, Nadya DePontbriand, Tim Bellon, Jim Johnson, Joey Henderson, Kelly Kowall, Billy Shaw, Tom Grimm, John Smith, Morrison and Moss. The group will be seeking additional members to help it further define its mission, Morrison said.
For additional information on the group, its activities or the collection drive, call the chamber at 813-645-1366 or 813-645-3808. You can also visit Facebook and search for Military Affairs Committee – SouthShore Chamber of Commerce.
