Mama Cindy Sends Comfort to American Soldiers Everywhere
From her home on a hill in Hemlock, Livingston County, she has touched more than 13,000 American soldiers in 42 countries around the world
By John Addyman
“It fuels my heart to be able to give someone comfort.”
Sitting in her very orderly kitchen in Hemlock, Livingston County, 69-year-old Cynthia Strasburg spreads her arms wide on the flower-printed tablecloth. She’s wearing her red, white and blue “America” dress, and she’s thinking about the fullness of life.
Her life.
And when she describes it, the joys, the learnings, the frustrations, the bright ideas, the intersections with so many wonderful people — she smiles at the very same instant a tear comes running down her cheek.
More than 13,000 American soldiers know her. Respect her. Acknowledge her. Trust her. Love her. Honor her.
And all have great memories of their long-distance relationship. They serve in uniform in 42 countries around the world.
From the back room of her home, she sends them cubic-feet packages of snacks and soups, personal hygiene items, haircut kits, socks, pen and paper, Christmas cards (with stamps and envelopes), toothpaste and tooth brushes, instant oatmeals and cocoa, tea, trail mix, table tennis sets, board games, playing cards…and so much more.
Since her first package went out to a soldier friend 20 years ago, Strasburg — known affectionately as “Mama Cindy” to her adopted troops — has supplied more than a taste of back home, she’s shown young men and women that they are valued and their service appreciated.
Along the way, she’s had to develop a system for collecting donations, packing boxes, filling out exhaustive customs documents and getting everything to the post office so boxes arrive on time.
“I’ll adopt a unit and I only do so many units,” she said. “Right now I have 17. I send them packages every month. Once a unit is set to return from overseas, they get their last package. Then I’ll go to a special website and I’ll adopt a new unit to replace them. I’m always running from 15 to 18 units, but at Christmas it’s around 24.”
In June, she was sending packages to 10 Army units, three Air Force, one Navy, and three Marine units. And she added a new country to her list where her newest adopted unit is posted — Curacao.
“When I send my baked goods — I always bake for my troops in January — I often get letters,” she explained. “A commander in Kuwait wrote to me and said, ‘Your baked goods arrived and it was the fastest disbursement of any donation we’ve ever received.’ I had sent over brownies, with candy bars, chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies and loaves of friendship bread. Everything is frozen and shipped frozen and no matter where those shipments go, they’ve always been received ‘delicious.’
“A lot of my units are composed of first-timers — soldiers in their first time away from home. They would tell me their living conditions and what they needed and what they couldn’t get, even though they have a PX or a commissary. One guy said he waited in line for an hour and by the time he got to the head of the line, the shelf was empty. I thought, ‘Oh! I’ve got to adopt you.’”
She says that any given time, she’s providing items for more than 1,000 soldiers.
Every month.
Six to eight hours each day. Completely supported by donations.
Taking care of troops is her prime mission.
But not her only mission.
“I want to give comfort to as many people as I can,” she said, “and the Lord has given me the sewing talent that I have. I adopted the Conesus Lake Nursing Home — I used to work there.
“I have been donating handmade neck pillows, seat pillows, comfort wraps and wheelchair bags and I bake for the employees. I remember when I was there, when we got something extra it was great because you worked your butt off.”
She has a friend at the nursing home who is 101. “She loves baked goods, so I started by taking her baked goods. I would see her every week. She asked me if I were the person that does things for the troops. She told me she was proud of me.
“I asked her, ‘Kay, do you mind if I spoil you?’
“’No, please do,’” she said with a smile. “And she got the first of everything I made.
“The Golisano Pediatric Surgical Unit contacted me and asked if I would be willing to make more surgical caps for their patients. I did that years ago. I said, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ I’ve been sending them a box every week. There’s 12-15 in a box, in all variety of colors. The director opened the first box and wrote to me: ‘Such wonderful work as you’ve always done. Thank you for supporting us.’
“I then realized there are a lot of people like me who are taking care of their partners or a family member. I started gifting to them. I designed a special pillow and started donating those [when there was someone dealing with a bedsore].
“We all need comfort. One woman was taking care of her husband and I created things for him. Then I thought, ‘Who takes care of the caregiver?’ I made her a neck pillow and a comfort wrap. I added a note that said, ‘This is for you so when you get two minutes and can sit down: here’s comfort for you.
“That is fueling my heart — to give comfort for people in my community because we are all people in need and it’s nice when someone gives you comfort; you don’t always think that the person who is giving comfort needs comfort, too.”
In a visit to her doctor recently, the conversation got around to how much she did for others and how much work that was.
“How are you?” he asked.
Mama Cindy told him, “I’m good because my path in my life is focused. The troops in my life are my saving grace. If I can help someone in need and give someone else comfort, it comforts me.”
An Army of One
On June 10, Mama Cindy was one of five honorees of the ESL/Channel 10 Heart of Service Award, recognizing her 20 years of service to troops, raising $200,000 in that effort and shipping 71,000 pounds of “comfort” to American troops posted all over the world.
She was front and center in her America dress at the award luncheon in Pittsford, handing out comfort neck pillows to the other award-winners and hugging about every third person. Joy just comes gushing out of her.
Putting all those packages together requires some help, though Mama Cindy does much of it herself.
“It’s an army of one, but I do have helpers,” she said. Diane Judson, Richard Hartman and Peggy Lockwood are special helpers from Buffalo — they pre-package breakfast items. And Richard, for instance, also wraps Q-tips, socks and other items in plastic bags so a Middle Eastern dust environment won’t intrude.
“I met them at a function in Buffalo,” she said. “They took care of 11 orphanages in Nicaragua. The government of Nicaragua has shut that down. Now they’re on the board of an animal rescue agency in Buffalo. They’ve been in my path in life for so long and it’s so awesome.”
Mama Cindy has also been creative in her efforts to meet simple needs.
She has sent 81 small coffeemakers and coffee fixins for units’ whole deployment. She bargained with Walmart to get a huge discount on 600 small bottles of hot sauce that she now sends along with ramen noodle soup packages.
“A soldier contacted me and said they had to get haircuts every week ‘and we have to pay for them and it’s $25-$30.’ So, I started sending haircutting kits,” she said. “I shipped over 20 of them so far.
“I always like to send games — playing cards, dice games, Yahtzee, the Velcro ball-catch games, dominoes, tower games — things that incorporate them working together: they’re having game nights! (Picture that 4,000 miles away.) I went to Five Below and they have table-tennis kits for $5. I not only send the kits, I send some extra balls because where are soldiers going to buy them where they are?”
Getting funds
Civic groups and clubs, like the Forged Alliance Chapter 18 West motorcycle club and the Kiwanis Club, hold fundraisers to support Mama Cindy and she’s developed a system of her own to show her appreciation for their efforts. She makes sure to acknowledge the gifts and also later provides proof of what the money was spent on and where the items went.
“For instance, the Sons of American Legion Post donates every year. “I keep detailed records,” she said. “I get more repeat funding because they’re actually seeing where their money is going, they know what’s in the packages. That’s a lot of work but it’s a labor of love. With my brain disorder, the more of a paper trail I have, I can be hands-on and accountable.
“I’ve heard from different organizations. They bring the donation information to their groups. The biker group, they’re raising funds from different biker groups to donate to this July’s bike run. Their president tells members, ‘You have to come and meet her: you have no clue as to what this person is doing.’”
That brain disorder — a car accident in 1994 had her in head trauma care for three years and still causes intermittent seizures. “I’ll always have a disability for the rest of my life but I don’t let my disability disable me from functioning to helping others,” she said. “So, you rise above.”
Look at her workroom and you see how organized Mama Cindy is. Look at the walls in her home and you see photo after photo of young men and women in uniforms and fatigues, smiling and thanking her.
Look at her special camouflage jacket and see all the patches sent to her by those grateful “adopted” units.
And it’s clear what a crush of activity explodes out of this modest home on a hill in Hemlock.
How Much Longer Can Mama Cindy Carry On?
“Until the Lord calls me home,” the 69-year-old said with conviction. “People are just so amazed that I’m still doing this. They thought after my first soldier came back 20 years ago, that would be it. My heart knows that for everyone who returns home, there’s another one waiting to deploy.
“When I first adopt a unit and I know there are first-timers in it or some who don’t have family that’s supporting them, I always pray for them and I pray for their unit and their safety. It gives me a feeling — and I hope I never lose it — that I can reach our soldiers around the world and give them comfort.”
What is the Effect of Mama Cindy’s Efforts?
• From a soldier in the Middle East…
“I wanted to send you a heartfelt thank-you from my platoon. Care packages are one of the things we get excited about here. Everyone appreciates the time and energy it takes to send us a package, and for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers…”
• From a Marine sergeant…
“We received your care package and would like to express our deepest gratitude. Thank you very much from myself and all the Marines in my unit…
“We have a few female Marines. For a wish list, I really feel bad asking for things, but…Twinkies, Hostess Cupcakes, socks, game boards, cards, snacks. We appreciate all the help and support of our troops over the years.”
• From an Ohio sergeant in the Middle East…
“Your care packages were instrumental in helping us maintain a positive morale. Thank you for sending so many! We are so grateful to know that there are Americans who appreciate us and support our mission. We could not be successful without support from people like you. We hope that you continue to find joy in supporting our fellow soldiers… (with 14 signatures)
• From a sergeant in Poland…
“Your thoughtful gesture has brought immense joy and comfort to our soldiers, especially during this time when they are away from their families and loved ones. The items you included were not only practical but also a wonderful reminder of the support and appreciation we have from people like you back home.
“The care packages have been a source of morale boost for our team. The snacks, letters and other essentials have made a significant difference in our daily lives, reminding us that we are not alone in our mission. Your kindness and generosity are truly inspiring and deeply appreciated.
“Please extend our thanks to everyone involved in putting together these care packages. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed and have made a tangible impact on the well-being of our soldiers. Thank you again for your unwavering support. We are honored to serve our country and are grateful to have people like you standing behind us…”
• From a unit in Saudi Arabia…
“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the unwavering support and care packages that you sent our way. We are truly humbled by your generosity, and we cannot thank you enough for thinking about us during this challenging time.
“Each time we receive a package, we are reminded of the love and support that exists beyond the confines of our deployment. The thoughtful gestures and tokens of appreciation that you have included in each package have brought us immense joy and have helped ease the burden of being away from our families and loved ones. Your kindness has not gone unnoticed and we are truly grateful for your thoughtfulness.
“(Please) know that you truly are appreciated. Your support has made a significant impact on our morale and has helped us stay focused and motivated during these long days and nights…”
• From a soldier in Poland…
“Your care package brought immense joy and excitement to everyone here, so I made sure to share everything you sent with my soldiers. The thoughtful selection of items and the love behind them were truly heartwarming. Your generosity and kindness remind us that we are never alone, no matter where we are.
“I am truly honored to have been ‘adopted’ by you. If I could ‘Make a Wish,’ I would appreciate a toothbrush, workout gloves (size Large), and a small speaker to enjoy music during workouts. If these are not possible, a small projector would be wonderful so we could set up a conference room for weekend movie nights, a small touch of home away from home.
“Your generosity care and gratitude for the military serve as a powerful reminder of why I continue to serve. People like you make a difference in our lives and I am deeply grateful for your kindness…”