Red Cross 'Holiday Mail' Will Greet Troops

Move over, e-mail. The virtual greeting just won't cut it this holiday season, as the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowles have teamed up for the third year for their Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

The initiative invites Americans to share their gratitude and thanks by sending holiday greeting cards via snail mail to U.S. service members, veterans and military families nationwide and abroad. Last year, the program received over 1.4 million cards, mirroring the number of men and women serving as active members of the U.S. armed forces.

Holiday cards will be collected through Monday, December 7th, and must be sent to the following address:

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

Volunteers at Red Cross chapters across the nation sort and review the cards, then pass them on to service members, their families and veterans.

The following guidelines from the Red Cross will help you get your gratitude on:

Do:

• Sign all cards
• Entitle cards "Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran"
• Send holiday-neutral cards rather than those with religious themes
• Limit cards to 15 per person or 50 for school class or business group
• Bundle groups of cards in single, large envelopes

Don't:

• Send letters
• Include personal information such as home or email addresses
• Use glitter - excessive amounts can aggravate health issues of wounded recipients
• Include inserts of any kind as they must be removed in the screening

process

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