Every weekday, Ted Owen arrives at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce at 6 a.m. He makes a pot of coffee for his employees and then sits down at his desk and reads through several newspapers, poring over the editorial content.
Last September, Owen, who is president and CEO of the chamber, read a column in the North County Times that not only caught his attention, but caused him to act. The article was about Military Outreach Ministry Camp Pendleton, known as MOM.
The nonprofit organization provides support to young military families of all faiths with a rank of sergeant and below. MOM distributes food weekly to more than 1,000 low-income military families and also gives away furniture and other household items.
“There are thousands of Marines every year that leave Camp Pendleton to go to Iraq and Afghanistan. With all of the obvious dangers, they shouldn't have to worry about their family at home. They should only have to worry about the dangers around them,” said Owen, who served in the Marine Corps for 22 years. “We wanted to support this organization to take some of the pressure off of these young men.”
After reading the article, Owen and Michael Babowal, the chamber's director of government affairs, met with MOM's executive staff to see how the chamber could get involved. They quickly connected the nonprofit with Wal-Mart, which donated $5,000 in cash and $5,000 in-kind donations.
Owen and Babowal toured MOM's antiquated warehouse, which had foundation and electrical problems. The facility also was considered to be excess by the base and was scheduled to be torn down.
The chamber met with Col. James Seaton, Camp Pendleton's commanding officer, about what could be done to upgrade MOM's warehouse or relocate the organization. After several conversations, MOM was given a Vietnam-era supply warehouse that was a major upgrade, but it didn't have sheetrock on the walls or flooring and the electrical load couldn't handle the organization's needs.
The chamber called its members to action and many were happy to support the cause. With help from David Lloyd of NRG West, Cabrillo Power, John Simons of Anastasi Development Company LLC, Dave Krohn of Chef DK Catering and others, the chamber was able to purchase a polymer floor and sheetrock to prepare the new warehouse for use.
The chamber, with help from its members, had supplies delivered to the new facility and hired professional drywall and floor installers to complete the project. After some further help from the Consolidated Engineering Battalion at Camp Pendleton, MOM's new warehouse was ready to open.
Faye Bell, executive director of MOM, said the new building is great because it has a loading dock and cargo bay, which make it easy to unload palettes of food and large donations of furniture. She said the facility also allows hundreds of families to move through the food distribution line in about 30 minutes, instead of an hour and a half.
“We do this to show gratitude to these young families and their service, and the sacrifices they make at a young age,” Bell said. “Most are between 18 and 22 years old and come with only what they can carry in their trunk. They often miss out on first anniversaries, first births.”
A grand opening celebration for MOM's new warehouse took place May 6, but the chamber's members continue to support the organization.
On May 19, UltraStar Cinemas treated more than 50 military moms and their children to a complimentary movie, popcorn and beverage at Mission Marketplace in Oceanside.
“Many movie theaters show movies for a living, at UltraStar we entertain people and strive for community involvement. Families are our top priority; offering a free movie to our deserving military families is a pleasure for us,” said Alan Grossberg, CEO of UltraStar.
The chamber also is striving to help MOM in other ways.
The nonprofit is one of the charities that will benefit from the chamber's golf tournament Aug. 4. The chamber also is looking for local companies to help provide monthly donations to the organization so they can sustain their weekly food give-a-ways.
“The war in Iraq may end, but the fact that we have young men and women here at home who fight for our county and don't make enough money to support their families won't,” Babowal said. “It is our call to action to help support these families.”
The following Carlsbad Chamber members have shown their support for Military Outreach Ministry Camp Pendleton through generous donations:
• Anastasi Development Company LLC
• Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club
• David Krohn of Chef DK Catering
• Debora Leitner/RE/MAX By-the-Sea
• Dr. John Fitzpatrick of Primary Care Optometrist
• Mimi and Roger Gaffey of RAM Enterprises International
• NRG West, Cabrillo Power
• Wal-Mart
Military Outreach Ministry Camp Pendleton
(760) 908-7043
www.militaryoutreachministry.org
Last September, Owen, who is president and CEO of the chamber, read a column in the North County Times that not only caught his attention, but caused him to act. The article was about Military Outreach Ministry Camp Pendleton, known as MOM.
The nonprofit organization provides support to young military families of all faiths with a rank of sergeant and below. MOM distributes food weekly to more than 1,000 low-income military families and also gives away furniture and other household items.
“There are thousands of Marines every year that leave Camp Pendleton to go to Iraq and Afghanistan. With all of the obvious dangers, they shouldn't have to worry about their family at home. They should only have to worry about the dangers around them,” said Owen, who served in the Marine Corps for 22 years. “We wanted to support this organization to take some of the pressure off of these young men.”
After reading the article, Owen and Michael Babowal, the chamber's director of government affairs, met with MOM's executive staff to see how the chamber could get involved. They quickly connected the nonprofit with Wal-Mart, which donated $5,000 in cash and $5,000 in-kind donations.
Owen and Babowal toured MOM's antiquated warehouse, which had foundation and electrical problems. The facility also was considered to be excess by the base and was scheduled to be torn down.
The chamber met with Col. James Seaton, Camp Pendleton's commanding officer, about what could be done to upgrade MOM's warehouse or relocate the organization. After several conversations, MOM was given a Vietnam-era supply warehouse that was a major upgrade, but it didn't have sheetrock on the walls or flooring and the electrical load couldn't handle the organization's needs.
The chamber called its members to action and many were happy to support the cause. With help from David Lloyd of NRG West, Cabrillo Power, John Simons of Anastasi Development Company LLC, Dave Krohn of Chef DK Catering and others, the chamber was able to purchase a polymer floor and sheetrock to prepare the new warehouse for use.
The chamber, with help from its members, had supplies delivered to the new facility and hired professional drywall and floor installers to complete the project. After some further help from the Consolidated Engineering Battalion at Camp Pendleton, MOM's new warehouse was ready to open.
Faye Bell, executive director of MOM, said the new building is great because it has a loading dock and cargo bay, which make it easy to unload palettes of food and large donations of furniture. She said the facility also allows hundreds of families to move through the food distribution line in about 30 minutes, instead of an hour and a half.
“We do this to show gratitude to these young families and their service, and the sacrifices they make at a young age,” Bell said. “Most are between 18 and 22 years old and come with only what they can carry in their trunk. They often miss out on first anniversaries, first births.”
A grand opening celebration for MOM's new warehouse took place May 6, but the chamber's members continue to support the organization.
On May 19, UltraStar Cinemas treated more than 50 military moms and their children to a complimentary movie, popcorn and beverage at Mission Marketplace in Oceanside.
“Many movie theaters show movies for a living, at UltraStar we entertain people and strive for community involvement. Families are our top priority; offering a free movie to our deserving military families is a pleasure for us,” said Alan Grossberg, CEO of UltraStar.
The chamber also is striving to help MOM in other ways.
The nonprofit is one of the charities that will benefit from the chamber's golf tournament Aug. 4. The chamber also is looking for local companies to help provide monthly donations to the organization so they can sustain their weekly food give-a-ways.
“The war in Iraq may end, but the fact that we have young men and women here at home who fight for our county and don't make enough money to support their families won't,” Babowal said. “It is our call to action to help support these families.”
The following Carlsbad Chamber members have shown their support for Military Outreach Ministry Camp Pendleton through generous donations:
• Anastasi Development Company LLC
• Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club
• David Krohn of Chef DK Catering
• Debora Leitner/RE/MAX By-the-Sea
• Dr. John Fitzpatrick of Primary Care Optometrist
• Mimi and Roger Gaffey of RAM Enterprises International
• NRG West, Cabrillo Power
• Wal-Mart
Military Outreach Ministry Camp Pendleton
(760) 908-7043
www.militaryoutreachministry.org