Posted on 11/14/2008 6:37:07 PM PST by 1066AD
Holiday Mail for Heroes From the front lines to the home front, the American Red Cross provides service members, their families and veterans with the care and assistance they need.
The Red Cross is partnering with Pitney Bowes this holiday season for the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. For the second year in a row, were collecting holiday cards to distribute to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world. Pitney Bowes is generously donating technology, resources and postage to make this holiday card program possible.
Our goal is to collect and distribute one million holiday cards to spread holiday cheer and facilitate thanks to these brave individuals and families.
Please send cards to this address, following the guidelines listed below:
Holiday Mail for Heroes PO Box 5456 Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
You can also:
Download and print a free card. Learn about other ways to participate. Get the latest news about Holiday Mail for Heroes. Watch a video from Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet Members, Dr. Phil and Nancy O'Dell.
OTHER WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
Banners Donate Facebook Page Flickr Learn about Service to the Armed Forces B-Roll
Card Guidelines Please follow these guidelines when mailing a card to ensure that your card will quickly reach service members, veterans and their families. Every card received will first be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working in one of 16 sorting stations around the country.
All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Cards sent after this date will be returned to sender. Please ensure that all cards are signed. Please use generic salutations such as Dear Service Member. Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program. Please send cards as opposed to long letters which delay a quick review process. Please do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships. Please do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process. Participants are encouraged to limit the number of cards they submit to 25 from any one person or 50 from any one class or group. If you are mailing a larger quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes. Each card does not need its own envelope. All cards received may be used in program publicity efforts, including appearing in broadcast, print or online mediums. Where to Send Phone Cards, Gift Cards and Care Packages: Phone cards or gift cards will not be accepted with the holiday cards. Those wishing to send calling cards or gift cards/certificates should go to www.aafes.com, scroll down to "AAFES Community Connection" and click on "Help Our Troops Call Home" or "Gift Cards/Certificates for Our Troops" in order to send such items. No 'Care Packages' will be accepted at this address. Those wishing to send care packages should go to www.AmericaSupportsYou.com and click under "Homefront Groups" to find out how to send care packages.
Thought it'd be good to publicise this so they get lots of cards.
Cards are fine but beware of including gifts. It's a shame that we have no reliable way of getting gifts to our wounded warriors. If there is a RELIABLE way of sending gifts, I'd like to know about it.
There’s a comment on gifts at the bottom of the Snopes article I linked.
See post #16: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1851063/posts
I never got a reply to my letter.
https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/content/view/424/946/
Check this option out at the Wounded Warrior Project.
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