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Heroes receiving holiday greetings

Red Cross, Pitney Bowes team up for project that sends mail to military from loved ones.

LAURA BONAWITS Times Leader Intern

The American Red Cross of Lackawanna County and Pitney Bowes are joining forces this holiday season for a third year of the Holiday Mail for Heroes project.

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Volunteers with the American Red Cross of Lackawanna County sort holiday greeting cards received during last year’s Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

Submitted photo

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A Red Cross volunteer dons a Santa cap to show his holiday spirit as he carries letters to be delivered to servicemen and women through the Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

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Under the project, members of the community are asked to send holiday greeting cards to a central post office box address which are to be distributed to people serving in the military as well as to veterans.

Cards for mailing are being accepted through Monday, Dec.7, said Charlotte Wright, director of community affairs for the Red Cross of Lackawanna County.

She said that the program serves as “an extension of the role the Red Cross has with the military and veterans.”

The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes will screen the cards for hazardous materials and then sort and package and deliver them. The holiday cards will be sent to various locations, including military bases, military hospitals and veterans’ hospitals. Some cards will be distributed to military families and veterans in the area, Wright said.

The Red Cross has been helping military families for more than 125 years, Wright said, and the Holiday Mail for Heroes project “gives (servicemen and women) a touch of home at Christmas.”

In 2008, 1.4 million cards were distributed, she said.

“I think it shows the American public appreciates sacrifice,” Wright said about the program. “We live in a world where we send text messages and e-mails, so to actually receive something in the mail is just a sign to show they’re being thought about.”

Holiday cards with sufficient postage affixed should be sent to: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456.

Only greeting cards will be accepted. Do not send care packages, monetary gifts, or cards using glitter or which have inserts.

For submission guidelines and more information about the program, visit redcross.org/holidaymail.