DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J., Oct. 15, 2007 (AP) – Marcelle Shriver already had the party favors – about 80,000 cans of Silly String. Now, she finally has cause to celebrate.
After months of frustration, Ms. Shriver has found someone who will ship her Silly String to Iraq, where troops use it to detect trip wires on bombs. They spray it 10 to 12 feet out and see if the string lands on the ground or hangs on the wires.
“I am so happy right now, I am shaking,” Ms. Shriver, 58, said as boxes were loaded into a truck on Monday afternoon. “I’m thrilled.”
After an initial shipment went to Iraq in January without a hitch, Ms. Shriver – whose son Todd is a soldier there – struggled to find a way to send thousands of cans she was still collecting. One problem was that Silly String, sold in aerosol cans, is considered a hazardous material, meaning that only certain companies can ship it.
Thom Campbell, a founder of Capacity L.L.C., a shipping company based in New Jersey that has experience in handling hazardous materials, heard about Ms. Shriver’s struggles and decided to help out.
Mr. Campbell said Ms. Shriver’s determination “deserves to be honored.”
