CINCINNATI - Airman Michael Stewart's craving for Cincinnati-style chili has been satisfied even though he's stationed on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
His girlfriend's mother recently sent enough of the sweet-tasting concoction to feed the entire crew of Stewart's ship, the USS Nimitz.
Joan Shay, who works for Skyline Chili as an office manager, decided that sending chili to just Stewart wasn't enough. She wanted to feed the nearly 6,000 sailors on the Nimitz.
The company offered to make a donation, but she opted for a collection drive, which took months. She wanted the crew members to know people back home cared.
An elementary school and high school started the drive. Children wrote notes on the cans to personalize them and included drawings, such as one showing the giant carrier on the Ohio River.
It took a special waiver to transport the shipment to the carrier, and the chili finally arrived this month.
Stewart and other Ohioans on board helped serve their shipmates. The chili was accompanied by the traditional spaghetti noodles and cheddar cheese.
"Opening 6,000 cans of chili got a little old after a while, but it tasted great. It tasted pretty close to the real thing for being half way around the world. It was a nice taste of Cincinnati," Stewart said.
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