Holiday Mail for Heroes

Augusta volunteers, Emma Kate Few and Tori Williams

One Thursday afternoon when high school students could have been doing various things, a group of young Red Cross volunteers came together to make cards for soldiers. The Red Cross calls this program Holiday Mail for Heroes. It takes takes place between October 1 and December 7th, and serves as an engaging and simple way to say thank you to our service members, veterans and military families for the holidays. Participating in this simple act of kindness provides much needed encouragement and spreads the holiday cheer.

“It just takes a moment to sign a card to share your appreciation for the sacrifices members of the military community make,” said Jennifer Pennington, executive director, Augusta Chapter. “You say thanks, we’ll do the rest.”

Emma Kate Few, one volunteer that attended the event says, “We all love mail, think how much getting a letter cheers us up. Making cards for soldiers is a simple way to show our appreciation to the military! I hope our cards brighten their day!”

If your chapter or club is interested in participating in Holiday Mail for Heroes, here are some guidelines:

Card Guidelines:

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.

Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

Ensure that all cards are signed.

Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.

Only cards are being accepted. Do not send or include letters.

Do not include email or home addresses on the cards: the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.

Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos: these items will be removed during the reviewing process.

Please refrain from choosing cards with glitter or using loose glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.

If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate postal shipping boxes. Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.

All holiday greetings should be addressed and sent to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

The deadline for having cards to the P.O. Box is Friday, December 7th.
Holiday cards received after this date cannot be guaranteed delivery.

For more details, go to http://www.redcross.org//support/get-involved/holiday-mail-for-heroes.

This season, give something that means something. Say thanks to our Heroes!