Jenny was packing a Christmas box to ship off to one of our favorite nephews. In went three puzzle books, a couple of pens, Band-Aids, a tin of her famous homemade holiday scramble mix, several ChapSticks, Listerine PocketPaks, LifeSavers, gum, high-energy jelly beans and other assorted goodies.

	Budinger

It seemed like the kind of kid stuff you'd send a young nephew you hadn't seen for a while and had no clue what he might be asking Santa Claus to deliver for Christmas.

In a way, that was true -- at least the part about not seeing him much. But Matt is a 20-year-old Marine corporal, a squad leader, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, on his second tour in Iraq, with the scars from shrapnel wounds underscoring the "Nine Lives" screaming panther tattoo on his right arm. He'd long ago given up on Santa Claus, and everything that went into that box was something he had asked for in e-mails and satellite calls home.

Mary Ellen Esquino wouldn't be surprised. She knows all about the little luxuries soldiers and Marines crave in Iraq. As the driving force behind Homefront Hugs in the North Hills, this Marshall mother of two school-age children sends at least a box a week to her two "adopted" soldiers serving in Iraq.

"I'm a small elf among larger elves," she said with a laugh. "I'm not alone in this."

Maybe. But Mary Ellen is one of those high-energy moms who finds it difficult to sit still for any specific length of time, and when she sees a need, acts to fill it without requiring a whole lot of direction.

She's the kind of super volunteer that Alessandra Kellermann, founder of the nationwide Homefront Hugs, called "an angel in your midst" in a letter to the P-G last week. "She is one neat lady and has a heart of gold," Ms. Kellerman said.

This is a time of year when there's a premium on volunteers and our appreciation runs deep -- perhaps because the needs of the needy seem even more acute during the holidays. And Mary Ellen is one of those who responds to need, almost without thinking.

We first introduced Mary Ellen in a North story in March about Homefront Hugs. She had built a network of friends, neighbors and acquaintances to adopt servicemen and women in Iraq, and her dining room had become a warehouse of snack food, music CDs, hygiene supplies and clothing.

She has since branched out. She is the official treasurer of Hugs 4 Smiles USA, an offshoot of Homefront Hugs, and works with Homefront Orphans Hugs, which helps orphanages in Iraq. Her volunteer efforts now include hurricane relief, helping victims, particularly in Florida, where nasty ladies with names like Katrina, Rita and Wilma caused widespread devastation. That evolved into something called Lunchbox Hugs, which sent toys, toothpaste, snacks, stickers, crayons and other items to kids in shelters. She's collecting winter clothes now because even in Florida's Santa Rosa County, the weather is getting chilly.

Perhaps the project Mary Ellen is most proud of, however, is a long-term relationship she helped forge between Marshall Elementary School and a school near Pensacola, Fla., with the unfortunate name of Bagdad Elementary.

"It's not the greatest name, but what are you going to do? They have a lot of kids in need there," she said.

Mary Ellen fired up her network in September, and with collections at the school and donations from the community, has so far sent seven boxes of school supplies, magazines, children's books, toiletries and snack items to Bagdad Elementary. More is on the way.

"All those school supplies, for 75 to 100 kids, go into my dining room. It just transforms from one warehouse to another," she said cheerily.

This is a lady who obviously enjoys what she's doing and has that kind of engaging personality that draws others into that same joy.

In a former life, she worked "in medical records" before moving back to the North Hills about nine years ago to concentrate on home, kids, their schools -- and volunteering.

She admits it keeps her busy.

"A friend of my husband's from Texas stopped by. He looked around, looked at me and said, 'You don't have time for a job, do you?'

"This is my job. It goes in spurts, but it's what I do."

Mary Ellen may not be alone, but she is a star in the volunteer ranks. This special holiday salute to her is a salute to all the volunteers who take this special season of giving and apply it all year long.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or just the passing of the winter solstice, may you get all the hugs you deserve this season.

For more "hugs" information, go to homefronthugs.com and hugs4smilesusa.org.