It was an idea that was simple, and yet meant a lot to the people who get to enjoy them.

A feature on KGW.com shares what Navy mom Molly Gisi from Southeast Portland, whose two sons asked her to write to sailors who did not receive letters, was able to build from that one idea. She harnessed the power of the Internet and was able to bring other Moms to her cause: supporting service members who are deployed all over the world, through Molly’s Adopt a Sailor program.

Molly Gisi said: “I’m just a Mom. I’m a clerk at Tri-met, I have no businesses behind me, I just wanted to show the kids overseas that they were not forgotten.”

From the initial idea of sending letters, Molly’s Adopt a Sailor project now also conducts monthly packing parties in 42 states that take care of putting together special care packages, which are then sent out to deployed troops from all branches of the military.

They also travel to homecoming celebrations to support troops; one of Molly’s Moms most recent events involved boarding a ship in San Diego with cookies – and chicken wings carried by Hooters girls – in tow.

Gisi shared: “We brought the cookies and hugs, the Hooter girls, well they brought everything else.”

Molly’s Adopt a Sailor program garnered the top vote from among the finalists who were up for a $50,000 grant prize from Pepsi. The program will start receiving the grant money in two weeks’ time. The money, Gisi said, will be apportioned as follows: “Half the money will go towards shipping costs. The rest will go towards buying care package items, like insoles for boots and beef jerky.”