By Jason Tait
Staff Writer
METHUEN — For the cost of a parking ticket every two years, motorists can ensure that local soldiers in the war on terror get a constant flow of care packages for several years to come.
So, with the support of the Registry of Motor Vehicles, James Sereigo-Wareing, founder of New England Caring for Our Military, is creating a "Support Our Troops" license plate that he said can raise $500,000 annually to benefit soldiers.
The plates cost $40 and show a bald eagle holding a yellow ribbon in its beak with an American flag in the background. It could be available in six months to a year.
First, however, customers are needed.
To ensure that demand for the plates exists, the registry is requiring 3,000 motorists apply for the "Support Our Troops" tags prior to production.
Registry spokeswoman Amie O'Hearn said the specialty plate program is an important fundraising tool, and the agency encourages groups and individuals to use it if they can meet the requirements.
"We are very proud of it," O'Hearn said of the program.
Sereigo-Wareing is now looking for customers, asking veterans agents in each of the state's 351 cities and towns to promote the plates to drivers. American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts are also behind the idea.
"I figure if I can get 10 (motorists) from each city, my goal will be met," he said.
Sereigo-Wareing started his organization 16 months ago and has shipped about 1,600 packages to soldiers, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan, with such things as cookies, movies, T-shirts and magazines.
Another 1,500 or so requests have come in through his Web site, but meeting the demand is impossible because of costs — $8 to $30 a box.
"The cost is astronomical," he said.
Sereigo-Wareing wants to expand the program beyond the Merrimack Valley, and said he needs a huge revenue-maker, such as license plates, to do that.
Ultimately, he hopes to have an office in each New England state.
"This will probably be our turning point," he said of the license plate.
His group keeps $28 from each plate, and a portion of that will go to at least two other organizations that do similar work for military personnel.
When the plates are renewed in two years, the veterans groups will get the entire $40 from each vehicle.
One of the other groups is Local Heroes of Reading and Wilmington, which has shipped about 1,600 packages overseas since 2004. It was founded by Louis Cimaglia, the veterans director for both communities.
"Anything we can do to show these guys we're behind them is a great cause," Cimaglia said of the plates.
Sereigo-Wareing is confident he can hit the 3,000 mark by June with the help of family members and Methuen soldiers who have returned from the war.
The market potential is huge — Massachusetts has about 5 million plates. Of those, about 175,000 are specialized, decorative plates like the "Support Our Troops" idea.
Special plates have raised about $30 million since 1995, starting with the right whale plate to benefit the Massachusetts Environmental Trust.
Sereigo-Wareing designed the plates himself with help from his niece, Jennifer Clegg, a graphic design student. He is retired from Malden Mills and is known locally for his patriotic flag displays on highway overpasses.
To order the vanity plates, contact Sereigo-Wareing at (978) 682-4979 or visit the NECFOM Web site at www.necfom.org.
New England Caring for Our Military
Founded: 16 months ago by James Sereigo-Wareing
Purpose: To send care packages to military members
Packages sent: About 1,600
Requests for packages: 3,000
Cost per box: $8 to $30 | 
