Silly String Is Shipped Off To Iraq
DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J., Oct. 15 (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.
Shriver and Campbell communicated for weeks over various channels to coordinate the requirements for moving the Silly String from Ms. Shriver's hands to the troops she so eagerly desired to reach. Over the course of many phone calls and emails, the experience of Capacity handling such products and the company's status as a trusted shipper finally got things moving.
The pair met for the first time Monday when the boxes were picked up, each praising the other for their role in making the shipment a reality. Mr. Campbell said Ms. Shriver's determination "deserves to be honored."
A wide variety of outlets showed interest in the case of getting Silly String where it needs to be. From the New York Times to NBC News, the power of cutting through red tape and getting the job done is compelling. It's what the team at Capacity gets up for every day, and what we continue to achieve for clients long after the media glow fades.
Learn more about the many ways that Capacity helps get goods - and much more than Silly String! - moving in the How We Do It section of our site.