Thousands of dollars raised for Wisconsin Coast Guard families affected by shutdown

USO Wisconsin has raised thousands of dollars for gift cards to give to U.S. Coast Guard members who are working without pay during the federal government shutdown.

On Monday, USO Wisconsin Executive Director Josh Sova appealed to the public to donate gift cards or money to purchase gift cards for Coast Guardsmen who did not get paid on Tuesday.

As of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, USO Wisconsin had raised $4,875 of its $5,000 goal on a Crowdrise by GoFundMe effort. More than $1,500 had been donated directly to the nonprofit's website for Coast Guard families and roughly $1,000 in gift cards had been dropped off at USO Wisconsin's office at Milwaukee's War Memorial.

Also, the Milwaukee Brewers are donating $2,500 and Mission BBQ plans to drop off lunch at Milwaukee's Coast Guard station. Others have contacted Sova to tell him they're mailing gift cards to USO Wisconsin.

"It's exactly what we've asked for and it's been great," said Sova. "We've done fundraisers before and this is the quickest we've seen a response to anything we've done in the four years I've been here."

Unlike other branches of the military that are part of the Defense Department and continue to get funding during the longest government shutdown, the U.S. Coast Guard falls under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security. Coast Guard members would normally have been paid Tuesday but did not get paychecks.

Coast Guardsmen cannot legally accept gifts of more than $20. So USO Wisconsin is seeking donations of gift cards in denominations of $20 or less for gas stations and general merchandise stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Meijer and Pick 'n Save.

The cards will be given to the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association for Coast Guardsmen who need help paying their bills during the shutdown. 

RELATED:As the government shutdown continues, Coast Guard rescues an injured crewman on Lake Michigan

Gift cards of $20 or less can be dropped off at the USO Wisconsin office at Milwaukee's War Memorial or mailed to USO Wisconsin, 750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive, Room 407, Milwaukee WI 53202-4018. Or donations can be made online earmarked for Coast Guard gift cards, usowisconsin.org.

There's also a Crowdrise by GoFundMe effort where people can donate directly for gift cards for Coast Guard Lake Michigan sector families. And Coast Guard Mutual Assistance is accepting donations nationally for Coast Guardsmen, cgmahq.org

For more information, contact USO Wisconsin Executive Director Josh Sova, (414) 763-2214, joshsova@usowisconsin.org.