Camp Pendleton families receive lawn mowers

BLOOMINGTON, MN — Serving in Iraq is tough on family men such as USMC Capt. Jason Actis of Camp Pendleton, but the stress on the family left behind is often underestimated.

The burden on the Actis family and 14 others is being relieved, at least a little, with the delivery of a new Lawn-Boy walk-behind mower.

Lawn-Boy and Project EverGreen, a national nonprofit organization, have established the “Mowers for Military Families” program for families with loved ones serving in the Middle East. Families were nominated online.

The new mower was delivered to the Actis family on July 2. An important reason the Actis family was chosen is that Christina Actis, Jason’s wife, said the mower will be used by neighboring families in similar situations in her community.

“I would love to have a mower to not only take care of our lawn but all of my neighbors’,” she wrote. “We are all in the same situation dealing with our spouses being gone and many not having a mower. It would be wonderful to have a neighborhood mower and be able to help each other out!”

The public was invited to nominate military families with loved ones serving in the Middle East to receive one of 15 new Lawn-Boy mowers.

“The nominations included emotional stories about the sacrifices military families are making,” said Lawn-Boy marketing manager Rob Little. “We heard from Mrs. Actis and others about how something that sounds simple, like mowing the lawn, is a really heavy burden for a mom with kids, no time and a broken-down mower.”