Military Support
Remember These Times:
May holds Military Spouses Day! The Friday before Mother’s day each year has been set aside to honor Military Spouses. The purpose is to thank military spouses for the support they give to their family and other military families, to honor them and their contributions, to acknowledge the sacrifices they make every day in support of their military member and our country. With concerns about the war on terrorism the military spouse is needed more than ever. Please take some time this to celebrate the accomplishments of your local military spouses and thank them for accepting the challenges of being a military spouse.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The third Friday in October each year is National Mammography Day, first proclaimed by President Clinton in 1993. On this day, or throughout the month, radiologists provide discounted or free screening mammograms
November is Military Family Month: The Armed Services YMCA has sponsored Military Family Month for the past 7 years. For more info visit the Armed Services YMCA.
Reach Out:
Here’s how to reach out to military families, especially those with a loved one overseas:
Donate a calling card to help keep service members in touch with their families at Operation Uplink.
Send a greeting via e-mail to Any service member or through Operation Dear Abby
Donate to “Operation USO Care Package” at www.usometrodc.org.
Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services.
Sign a virtual thank you card at the Defend America web site.
Volunteer at a VA Hospital to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts.
The Gift of Groceries program at www.commissaries.com helps meet the family needs of our Guard and Reserve troops fighting the war on terrorism.
Care Package Info:
Letters and packages must be sent to a specific service member. The United States Postal Service will not accept items addressed to “Any Service Member” or other umbrella addresses. **Yes, I’m aware they do sometimes accept them but they should NOT and may not**
Things you can send:
Calling Cards, Lotion, Coffee/Tea (single bags), Tooth brushes/paste, Soap, Wipes, Hand cleaners, Chap stick, batteries, envelopes/notepads, razors, candy/snacks, hot chocolate packs, ramen noodles, dry kool-aid mix, tang, puzzle books, foot powder, travel sewing kits, hand held games, juice boxes, condiments (from restaurants, good to add taste to their food), towels, tissue paper, Books, Cameras (disposable), Dental floss, Girl Scout cookies, Gum, CD’s, Nerf toys (small footballs, etc.), Odor Eaters (for boots), Playing cards, Postage. You’ll want to watch what kind of candy to send, anything that will melt WILL.
Things you cannot send:
Obscene articles, prints, paintings, cards, film, horror comics. Nude or seminude persons, pornographic material. Religious materials. Pork or pork by-products. Alcoholic beverages. Fruits. Living plants. Firearms. Explosives, including fireworks. Illegal substances.
Mailing the package:
Keep the packages small, if possible (no bigger than a shoe box). Larger packages take longer to be delivered and are more cumbersome. Smaller, more frequent packages are likely your better option. The U.S. Postal Service offers FREE boxes for Priority Mail. You can also order free boxes from the USPS online store (for use with Priority Mail shipping ONLY). The Recommended size is the #4 or #7 box. Packaging Tips: Use plastic bags with zip-style closures for everything. They keep out sand, they keep out rain. They may reuse them for all sorts of things. Quart size are great to keep their wallets and personal photos with them, in one of their many pockets, and they stay dry. If you’re shipping a liquid (shampoo, eye drops), or items that are likely to melt or drip (Chapstick, deodorants, chocolate) be sure to pop it into a tightly sealed plastic bag first. That will help keep the rest of the items from getting gooey or ruined, just in case.
Military Links:
If you click on a “dead” link, please let me know so I can *fix* it! Much Thanks!
| For information on Op Enduring Freedom - visit Enduring Freedom and/or Operation Enduring Freedom |
February 12th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Please consider adding this charitable military support entity to your list: eMail Our Military