A local organization is trying to raise money to help some of the people directly affected by the budget stalemate in Washington D.C. by hosting a pancake breakfast in Keokuk Saturday morning.
The group, called Tri State Moms on a Mission, meets twice a month in Keokuk. It’s a mix of stay-at-home and working mothers from Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri.
Linda Marsden of Keokuk is a stay-at-home mother. She said when members get together, they openly talk about their lives and their families.
“We talk about our triumphs and our challenges as mothers,” said Marsden. “Tri State Moms has been one of those things that saved me from losing myself, in staying at home and not having any outside contact, especially being new to the area.”
Marsden said their discussions of late have focused on the members of the U.S. Coast Guard unit stationed in Keokuk. She said a couple of the Tri State Moms are married to coast guard members, who are not being paid during the partial shutdown of the federal government.
“They were not getting their paychecks,” said Marsden. “We all have financial struggles and we’ve all been there, but this was just a different level. At one point, we said, ‘O.K., there’s 17 guys [in the unit]. We can do this.’”
So on Saturday, January 26 Tri States Moms on a Mission will host a pancake breakfast at the Keokuk Union Depot from 7:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Marsden said 100% of the money raised through free-will donations will go to the members of the Coast Guard unit. She said the group is able to do that because all of the supplies for the breakfast have been donated by local businesses and individuals.
“We are really hoping that we are able to help the unit during the shutdown.”
