In the good ol’ days, this time of year produced a slew of care packages, gifts and Christmas cards addressed to “Any Service Member,” a caring act made easy by the U.S. post office. While that program has been suspended due to safety considerations, you can still send our troops — and their families — some holiday cheer through the online version of “Operation Dear Abby,” the program started by the famous columnist in 1967 after Sgt. Billy Thompson explained that what troops really miss over the holidays are letters from home.

But don’t stop there! There are so many ways — and they’re all so easy — you really don’t have an excuse not to do it today! Whether you want to show your support to celebrate the holidays, or show it for the other 364 days of the year, here’s how:

Urgent! Due to religious restrictions, our troops stationed in Islamic countries are unable to purchase holiday cards for their families. You can help! Mail unsigned, unsealed holiday cards for soliders’ use to: Have A Heart/Adopt A Soldier Org., 143 Denio Road, Malone, NY 12953. Card donations must arrive by November 25 for soldiers to mail them on time.

Send a care package to any one of the 700+ soldiers on Any Soldier, Inc.‘s list or the 200 soldiers listed on Give2TheTroops‘s list. Or, support organizations that put together and ship care packages directly, like Operation Military Pride* [Please see note below] and Operation Gratitude.

Two great ways to help soldiers reach out and touch someone: donate your old cell phone through Cell Phones for Soldiers. Or send pre-paid long-distance calling cards to troops deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom through the Military Exchange. (Authorized Exchange shoppers click here; everyone else, click here.)

Of course, the military keeps our troops in “beans and bullets” but that’s not all to life, even in a war zone. Help soldiers defray their personal costs (or buy gifts for their families, even) with a Military Exchange gift certificate. (You don’t have to be authorized to shop at the Exchange to buy a gift certificate.)

Give the gift of distraction and enrichment by donating books for soldiers.

Adopt a soldier through Operation Home Front Hugs and send them a care package. But why stop with just one? You can apply to Adopt a Platoon, too! In addition to care packages, soldiers always love hearing from home. If you don’t personally know a soldier for whom you can be a pen pal, the Letters from Home program makes it easy to find one.

Improve morale. Support the United Service Organization (USO), which not only provides entertainment for deployed troops, but also family assistance, orientation briefings, and those wonderful airport service centers which, I can assure you from personal experience, are invaluable to traveling military families.

While our troops are proudly serving overseas, there are sometimes emergencies back home. Your donation of frequent flier miles through Operation Hero Miles can get a deployed soldier home to witness the birth of his child, or to comfort his wife and children during difficult times. Now, through a philanthropic partnership, Operation Hero Miles can also fly family members to be at the bedside of a wounded soldier. (Show your sympathy and support for those loved ones by supporting the Wounded Soldiers’ program, which provides First Response backpacks containing personal necessities needed by family members flying to the bedsides of their loved ones.)

Of course, soldiers aren’t the only ones serving their country. In times of war, their families are pressed to duty in their own ways, too. Give military kids a Christmas they’ll remember by making a cash donation through Woman’s Day Magazine’s “Spread the Cheer” program with the ASYMCA. Or help a military spouse by giving the gift that lasts a lifetime: education! Donate to the American Military Spouse Education Foundation and help fund undergraduate studies for a military spouse.

When most pet owners go out of town, they ask friends or family to watch their pets for them. Our troops aren’t always fortunate enough to be stationed near their loved ones, and all too often there’s no choice but to place their pets in an animal shelter. Why not act as a foster parent for military pets and keep a soldier’s best friend waiting for when he or she comes home?

Got skills? Folks who can sew should check out Soldiers’ Angel’s Blanket of Hope program. Those who knit or crochet can shower soldiers’ babies with gifts through Operation Top Knot.

What are you waiting for? Get clicking!

* NOTE: Due to litigation in Illinois concerning the financial accountability of Operation Military Pride, Electric Venom no longer recommends donations to this group. For more information see this Chicago Tribune article concerning the judgment entered against OMP.

Monday, November 22nd, 2004, 12:40 pm   |   Blog bites  |  RSS feed Comments and pings are currently closed.