She knows the number is in the thousands since she began sewing three years ago as part of The Hugs Project.
For the project, volunteers sew long ties and fill them with moisture-absorbing silica gel. The ties stay cool for hours after being soaked in ice water, said Hallford, who lives off Steilacoom Road. Soldiers can wrap them around their necks to help combat the heat.
"As hot and miserable as we sometimes get in Washington, I can't even imagine how hot it gets when it's 120 degrees," she said.
Military family
Her motivation comes from her background - her father was in the Army for 23 years, she said.
She sews for several hours a day in her dining room, between tutoring at the University of Washington and selling produce with her brother Kevin Hallford at the Lacey Farmers' Market on the Green. The pair operate the backyard gardeners booth, where people can bring extra produce from their yards. Their father, Melby Hallford, also sells kettle corn at the market.
A big hit
Hallford's cool ties have proved a hit at the market, as well.
Last year, she began making them for vendor operators to stay cool. Soon customer were asking about them.
Now she sells colorful ties alongside the produce, and puts the profit back into her "hugs," as she likes to call the ties for troops. She tucks the ties in care packages or gives them to friends and acquaintances who are sending care packages. She also makes huge batches to give to Operation Support Our Troops.
'Hugs'
With each tie, she encloses a note that reads "Dear Military Person ... We appreciate you for your service to our country and we want you to have this 'hug' from home."
Diane Anderson, one of the OSOT coordinators, said Hallford's effort helps boost morale for troops overseas.
"It is always a pleasure to receive her creations and mail them on to the troops," she wrote in an e-mail.
In return, Hallford gets an occasional letter or e-mail of thanks.
Hallford prefers to sew rather than voice her opinion about a war she doesn't support, she said.
"I could never protest it because that would be protesting the people that have to be there," she said.
Instead, she hopes this small hug from home will express her appreciation.
Diane Huber covers the city of Lacey and its urban growth area for Lacey Today. She can be reached at 360-357-0204 or dhuber@theolympian.com.
