The war in Iraq ended May 1.

But the cause of a local family hasn't.

Jo Ann and Dan Wentzel, creators of www.freedomsfamilies.com, have been putting together care packages, called Luv from Home, for soldiers stationed in the Middle East and all over the world.

Since April, they've sent out 114 boxes and have another 25 ready to be mailed.

About 160,000 soldiers are stationed somewhere in the Middle East, Jo Ann Wentzel said. Reports of soldiers being killed or injured still come across the airwaves and news wires.

So the Wentzels keep sending out packages, keep raising money to send them and keep collecting addresses of soldiers.

"I think it's hard for a lot of people to realize that we still need this," Jo Ann Wentzel said of the care packages.

The Wentzel's son, Dan Wentzel Jr., was deployed to the Middle in April. He is an Army staff sergeant in the 59th military police detachment, based at Fort Carson, Colo. He had to leave behind his wife, Shannon, and his 6-year-old son, Anthony, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

They heard from him on Father's Day. The temperature was 103 degrees, but at least he is now staying in a building, not a tent, Jo Ann Wentzel said.

The response since the Wentzels started the Web site in February has been positive. It has had more than 68,900 hits and organizations and individuals from all over the area have been helping with donations and labor. Weyerhauser has donated boxes, local businesses have Freedom's Families donation cans in their stores and schools donated supplies for the boxes.

"Everybody's been very, very helpful," Jo Ann Wentzel said.

Most recently, SEMCAC's Retired and Senior Volunteer Program has decided to make Freedom's Families a volunteer base. Now, RSVP members can choose to help Freedom's Families with donations, packages and fund-raisers.

And there's quite a few upcoming events.

The Wentzels will hold a rummage sale at their house, 1928 Fourth Ave. NW, with all proceeds going to toward postage for packages. Neighbors have brought items to their house for them to sell.

The sale is from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and continues at 8 a.m. Saturday.

The Wentzels also are planning to collect donations during the Fourth of July. They will have a booth set up in Veterans Pavilion on July 4 to take items for packages or monetary donations. Jo Ann Wentzel thinks the Fourth of July is a good time to hold the fund-raiser.

"It's a time that we should remember our freedom and how we got it," Jo Ann Wentzel said.

On Friday afternoon, she, her grandsons Steve and Kris Hill and her neighbor Mary Bailey manned the bratwurst stand at Cashwise Foods. Freedoms Families receives 50 percent of the money earned at the stand. An RSVP volunteer helped them sell bratwursts and pop on Saturday.

During some down time Friday, Jo Ann Wentzel sat in the warm sun. Sunglasses and a black baseball cap, embroidered with a flag and decorated with pins and a button that reads, "Military Mom," shields her eyes and head from the sun.

"We've had a nice turnout today," she said. "It's been busy."

Jo Ann Wentzel said her son was told he'll be in the Middle East for a year, but that's not certain. Even when soldiers come home, more will be sent over to replace them, she said. Just two weeks ago, she received an address for a soldier who was just deployed to Iraq.

"They're going to have to keep putting people in there to keep the peace," Jo Ann Wentzel said.

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at cari.quam@austindailyherald.com