Freedom family 'slimes 'em for soldiers'

EAST COUNTY — As stimulus for his students, Freedom Elementary School Principal Jim Mennes has been pummeled by water balloons and blanketed with silly string.

Now, he can add another credential to his list: being drenched in slime.

“The kids keep coming up with new ways to torture me,” Mennes said, chuckling, with the lime-green liquid dripped down his face.

For two weeks in May, children brought in non-perishable items such as gum, candy, beef jerky, blank DVDs and other items, to send in care packages to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The collection drive concluded Wednesday, May 30, with a special “Slime ’em for Soldiers” event, at which children doused Mennes, several teachers and two representatives of MacDill Air Force Base with cups of green homemade slime.

Mennes said each soldier being mailed packages is either directly or indirectly related to a member of the Freedom family. About 50 active-duty soldiers are being shipped boxes, he said.

“We’ll send over about 100 care boxes,” Mennes said. “Each of our soldiers will get (two or three) packages so they can share them with their buddies.”

Students said they enjoyed sliming their teachers and administrators and also were grateful for the opportunity to send items to servicemen and women overseas.

“I think it really helps them,” said 10-year-old Jordan Hirst, who got covered in slime after his mother, Amanda Hirst, a fourth-grade teacher who volunteered to get slimed, gave him a hug. “They need it. They really do. They need to know their country thanks them.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].