Operation Shower hosts baby shower for military families in Groton

Twenty new and expectant military mothers walked into the Submarine Force Museum in Groton and found more than diapers, bottles and baby gear waiting for them. Operation Shower turned the June 16 gathering into a practical handoff of supplies and a room full of peers who understood deployments, distance and last-minute moves. Many of the attendees were not Connecticut residents at all, but were in the state because of military service.

Operation Shower says the mission started in 2007, when founder LeAnn Morrissey began assembling “showers in a box” in her basement after her uncle, then deployed to Afghanistan, suggested helping the pregnant wives of deployed service members. Since then, the nonprofit says it has honored nearly 10,000 military moms and moms-to-be from every branch of service. Its showers are designed to ease the financial and emotional strain that can come with active-duty life, and the organization says its events typically bring together groups of about 20 to 40 moms.

The Groton event leaned on a broad network of donors and partners, including the Travelers Championship, Diaper Genie, Angelcare, Delta Children, Hang the Moon and Joie. That support turned the shower into something closer to a community supply chain than a simple gift table, with Operation Shower’s signature Shower in a Box among the donated items. The setting at the Submarine Force Museum added a ceremonial note to the day, and it was not the first time Groton has played host. A 2025 Operation Shower event at the same museum drew 20 military families.

The personal stories made clear why the gathering mattered. Nisha Martin said she would “probably remember this for the rest of my life,” and said the support of her Navy family meant so much because her own mother is back in Australia. At a previous Groton shower, Melinda Helner said the cost of preparing for a baby was overwhelming and called the event the best support system her family had experienced at any duty station. In Groton, Operation Shower delivered what military families often lack most: supplies, recognition and a place to feel less alone.