Each year, I have leftover unused Christmas cards and each year I think, what a shame I don't have some good use for them. This year, there are at least two places you can send them to, with a message of encouragement and/or support for our veterans!!
I ran across a posting on Facebook about an individual, Robin aka Sky Angel, who is getting cards to our wounded over at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed Medical Center, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany or the Combat Surgical Hospital in Afghanistan. Robin has a post up on her blog that explains it all.
The American Red Cross has again teamed up with Pitney Bowes for their "Holiday Mail for Heroes Program." This program will deliver your letters to "holiday cards to our American service members, their families, and veterans all over the world." However, there is a mailing deadline associated with the Holiday Mail for Heroes Program.
The deadline for this year is December 10th. Unfortunately, if your cards are not postmarked by December 10th they cannot be delivered. After Pitney Bowes collects and screens the mail received in the PO Box, Red Cross workers deliver holiday greetings to service men and women in their communities.
Contact information for Robin is listed below:
"If you or anyone you know wants to (and please, I encourage you to do so!!!) write a Wounded service member, please feel free to send them to me, (or any legitimate organization who says they will deliver them for you, there are plenty of them on the internet) and I will be happy to either hand deliver them to Walter Reed, Bethesda, or forward them on to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany or the Combat Surgical Hospital in Afghanistan. Our troops need and deserve our support and a card is such an easy way to uplift someone’s spirits. Just write on the envelope “service member” or “wounded warrior” or something like that, and I will know NOT to open it."
Cards/letters may be sent to Robin at the following address:
Robin Schmidt
PO Box 122037
Covington, KY 41012-2037
Cards and letters for the American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes may be sent to the following address:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD
20791-5456
There is a video at the Holiday Mail for Heroes website.
I urge you to take a few extra minutes and use up those extra few Christmas cards that we always have and send them on to either our wounded (thru Robins' site) or to our veterans (thru the Red Cross site).
Please be aware that there are many other organizations that collect and deliver holiday mail for our veterans/wounded.
Don't send to "Any Soldier" or "Any Wounded Soldier" at our military hospitals. They won't be delivered!! Times have changed, and so it the mail acceptance policy at our hospitals.
Stumble It!
