Blue Star Mothers send love overseas Published Nov. 25, 2013 By Rebecca Amber Staff writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., -- The Antelope Valley Blue Star Mothers Chapter 14 visited Edwards AFB Nov. 21 to deliver care packages for deployed Airmen. The group came with 68 boxes filled with donated items including snacks and hygiene products. Many of the donated items came from shoppers at the local Palmdale Sam's Club. The Blue Star Mothers distributed shopping lists outside of the store and waited for shoppers that were willing to donate items from the list. The care packages were then delivered to the Airmen and Family Readiness Center where they will be distributed to various units and then shipped to Airmen currently serving in deployed locations overseas. Each unit will cover the cost of shipping for their boxes. "I just want to express our thanks and I can definitely see how this will improve everyone's morale. I've never been overseas myself, but I know how sending little reminders or trinkets from home mean a lot when you're deployed," said Master Sgt. Valerie Vasquez, 412th Force Support Squadron, Airmen and Family Readiness Center NCOIC. According to Blue Star Mothers President Sylvia Gaxiola, sending care packages to the troops is one of their main objectives and their next mailing is scheduled for March. When they aren't collecting items or packing boxes, the group hosts fundraisers to help cover shipping costs for their mailings. Gaxiola noted that each box costs around 17 dollars to ship. "We love this country and we know the sacrifices that our troops go through," said Gaxiola. "I've never been overseas, but I've been on the other end of having someone go overseas. I know how much this meant to my husband or son when they received something from home. My husband was from East Los Angeles and there's a place out there that sells beef jerky by the pound. His mom and I would fill a box of it and send it out to him. That was something from home that he couldn't get over there."