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32 | OHCC LIVING | JULY 2026 | Village Vets Diapers are not glamorous. They're not polished like a golf club, fast-paced as a Pickleball or as engaging as an Abravanel Hall microphone. But to young military families struggling to make ends meet, affording diapers can be the one thing that shapes their entire week. Sometimes it's easy to forget what that means — exhausted parents feeding babies at 2 am, spouses disappearing for deployment, and bill collectors sending them payment reminders while they raise our future service members in their homes. Something as small as a box of diapers or a pack of wipes provides the comfort of knowing someone saw them, thought of them, and cared enough to help. In a fitting show of support for Camp Pendleton's young military families, OHCC's Village Veterans is leading a collection drive that needs your help. Starting July 20 - Aug. 7, you can buy boxes of diapers and wipes and drop them off at 4899 Galicia Way and 4807 Marathon Way. Needed sizes range from newborn diapers through toddler pull- ups, size 6. Camp Pendleton's Armed Services YMCA will deliver your gifts to families on the base. The diaper drive pins itself to an earlier Village Veterans event held at the Lanai. At the "Hot Dog Extravaganza," Navy Rear Admiral Terry Kraft honored war veterans Bob Bechill and Bill Seccombe with "challenge" coins. The coins challenge veterans to pass down — to family and community — their remarkable history of giving to others. In this same spirit, your Village Veterans ask that you help meet needs with action. Our heartfelt donations of diapers and wipes will remind military families — who sacrifice for us — that they are not alone. Written by Christi O'Connor Diaper Drive Challenge Coin Ceremony