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Holiday Mail for Heroes Aims to Send One Million Cards To Service Members
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Lise Harwin / Alison Klapper
 
October 6, 2010
To ensure that military members, veterans and their families have a festive holiday season, the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc. have launched the 2010 Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

Oregonians can help reach the program's goal of one million holiday cards, to be distributed to members of the United States Armed Forces and veterans during the holiday season. Cards will be accepted through December 10 at: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456.

The Red Cross is also encouraging families, schools, youth, civic groups, scouting troops, places of worship, and other groups that are interested in participating in the Holiday Mail for Heroes program to organize and host card-making events. For a list of tips and ideas, please visit: www.redcross.org/holidaymail.

Pitney Bowes receives cards and messages at the special Holiday Mail post office box, and screens all items for hazardous materials. Red Cross volunteers then sort and deliver the cards throughout the holiday season. Pitney Bowes screens, packages and ships the cards at no charge, and contributes thousands of volunteer hours at sites around the country. For reasons of processing and safety, participants are asked to refrain from sending "care packages," monetary gifts, using glitter or including any inserts with the cards.

This is the fourth year that the Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have held the Holiday Mail for Heroes program. More than three million cards have been distributed during the first three years of the campaign.

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In Oregon, the American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disaster every 20 hours; supplies more than 90 percent of Oregon's blood; teaches thousands of Oregonians lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.oregonredcross.org or join our award-winning blog at www.oregonredcross.org/blog.