County Holds Donation Drive In Honor Of Fallen Middletown Soldier

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry is leading a donation drive in support of the Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II Memorial Fund, a nonprofit for U.S. soldiers and their families.

The fund was set up in memory of Zilinski, a Middletown native who was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in 2005. Donations are being accepted though Wednesday, Oct. 16 and care packages are expected to be shipped out in November in advance of the holiday season.

Zilinski was only 23 years old when he was killed in action fourteen years ago. He graduated from Christian Brothers Academy, where he was a member of the varsity swim team. Zilinski was nominated to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 2004. He completed Airborne School while a student at West Point.

After graduation from Ranger School, he was deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division in September of 2005. Only two months into his deployment, on November 19, 2005, Zilinski was killed by a roadside bomb that went off near Bayji, 155 miles north of Baghdad.

Zilinski was one of the four American soldiers killed that day by the same roadside bomb.

Since his untimely death, family and friends have united with the memorial fund to provide support to improve the morale and welfare of members of the U.S armed forces and their families.

“Each year, I strongly encourage Monmouth County residents to donate supplies as a sign of gratitude to the courageous men and women who sacrifice so much to protect our freedom,” said Burry. “It is imperative to advocate for organizations like the Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II, Memorial Fund that support our troops, especially during the holiday season when these heroic men and women are away from their families.”

Donations can be delivered to collection boxes at several Monmouth County buildings including:

• Hall of Records, 1 E. Main St., Freehold
• Agriculture Building, 4000 Kozloski Road, Freehold
• Health Department, 50 E. Main St., Freehold
• Social Services Building, 3000 Kozloski Road, Freehold
• Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan
• Eastern Branch Library, 1001 Route 35, Shrewsbury
• Colts Neck Library, 1 Winthrop Drive, Colts Neck
• Marine Academy of Science and Technology, 305 MAST Way, Highlands
• Colts Neck High School, 59 Five Points Road, Colts Neck
• Colts Neck General Store, 171 County Road 537, Colts Neck
• Fort Monmouth Recreation Center, 2566 Guam Lane, Tinton Falls
• Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center, 331 Georgia Tavern Road, Howell

The drive is collecting food, drinks, snack, personal care items and more. Supplies will be assembled into bags, with handwritten notes of gratitude, and distributed to military members on foreign soil in time for the holiday season. Donation items being collected include:

Food, Drinks and Snacks:

• Tuna meals in foil pouches
• Granola and protein bars
• Trail mix, cashews, peanuts, mixed nuts, dried cranberries, raisins, dried apricots and other dried fruits
• Slim Jims
• Beef jerky
• Gatorade powder mix (odd colors preferred)
• V8 Energy drinks
• 5-hour Energy
• Sneaky Pete’s Outstanding Beverages (healthy oat-based drink)
• Cereal in individual packs or boxes
• Lipton Tea, honey sticks, Crystal Light powder, etc. for water bottles
• Ritz crackers, peanut butter crackers
• Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle
• Cup soups
• Skippy natural peanut butter
• Condiments and hot sauces of all kinds
• Gum (both sugarless and regular; bubble gum)
• Candy (Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, Mike and Ikes, Swedish Fish, etc.)
• Cookies (Oreos, Nilla Wafers, Girl Scout cookies, etc.)
• Goldfish (all flavors)
• Pretzels
• Lifesavers in individual wrappers in bags
• Premium coffee (Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Folgers, K-Cups)
• Coffeemate, Splenda, sugar packets,
• Entenmann’s crumb cake, Tastykake butterscotch krimpets, Devil dogs, Little Debbies, etc.

Personal Care:

• Baby wipes
• Q-tips
• Scope or Listerine mouthwash
• AXE deodorant, shampoo and body wash
• Dove men deodorant, shampoo and body wash
• Dove deodorant, shampoo and body wash for women (premium brands only)
• Hand sanitizer
• Gold Bond foot powder
• Lip balm
• Ibuprofen
• Anti-diarrheal pills
• Dental floss
• Premium razors and cartridges (name brand preferred such as Gillette)
• Edge or Gillette Shaving Gel (must be shaving gel and not shaving cream – aerosols prohibited to ship)
• Vaseline intensive care lotion for dry skin
• White socks
• Sports bra in assorted sizes
• White undershirts in assorted sizes
• Underwear in assorted sizes

Other:

· Sudoku and crossword puzzle books

· GoJo hand cleaner

· No pest strips

· Sticky mouse traps

· Twin sheets, pillows and blankets

· Duct, gorilla and electrical tape

Donation checks for the nonprofit organization can me made out to Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II, Memorial Fund and mailed to:

Freeholder Lillian G. Burry

PO Box 128

Colts Neck, NJ 07722

Prior Patch reporting on local hero Dennis Zilinski:

Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II Memorial Fund Continues to Support Super Bowl Party for Wounded Warriors

Remembering Dennis: Middletown Reformed Church Hosts Lieutenant Dennis W. Zilinski II Youth Group Memorial Scholarship BBQ

Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II Memorial Fund Receives $1,500 Donation from Eatontown's Circle BMW