About the Gator Project
“The Gator Project” started with a simple phone call on Thanksgiving Day in 2004. Our Marine son serving in Iraq, requested a neck warmer, or “gator”. No longer 110 degrees, it was down to 50s during the day, 30s at night. I purchased several yards of camouflage fleece and made sixteen gators, one for him and one for each of his South Texas based team. (If a Vermonter is cold, imagine how those southern guys felt!) And so, the “Gator Project” was born! My original goal was to send a thousand gators to our deployed soldiers serving in Iraq to keep them warm that winter. I requested help, both in donations to purchase the fleece and for postage, and for sewing help as well. The public responded! Boy and Girl Scouts, quilting groups, senior citizens, and school children, service organizations, and just plain folk pitched in. More gators are being made and shipped regularly to soldiers in all branches of the service. No U.S. service person should be cold. We are now making Neck Coolers, (Summer Gators) and directions are also included on this website.
It’s a VERY easy project–each one has just a few seams and takes only three minutes to sew. A postcard or a note tucked inside each one expressing appreciation and acknowledgment would be a personal touch.
Directions for Summer and Winter gators are included on this website. If you have a friend or family member serving abroad, feel free to mail your gators directly to him/her for distribution. Please email me at mary@thegatorproject.org with the quantity you send, to keep an accurate tally, which will be updated regularly on the this website. Don’t sew, but want to help? Start by forwarding this link to everyone in your address book. You will find, as I did, that people are eager and willing to do something to support our soldiers. Then, click on the “Other Ideas” tab for a list of other activities that anyone can do.
And THANK YOU!!!!