American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Team Up to Invite the Public
to “Send a Touch of Home” to Service Men and Women
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2009--
In this season of hope and giving, the American
Red Cross and Pitney
Bowes Inc. have joined forces again to invite the public to “send a
touch of home” to United States service members and veterans across the
country and abroad through the Holiday
Mail for Heroes campaign.
Now in its third year, the Holiday Mail for Heroes program
provides Americans with the opportunity to extend holiday greetings and
thanks to service members and veterans. Last year the program received
more than 1.4 million cards for military men and women, their families
and veterans.
The public can participate in the campaign by sending holiday cards with
personal messages to a special post office box from Monday, November 2
through Monday, December 7. The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes will then
screen cards for hazardous materials, sort and package the cards, and
deliver them to military bases and hospitals, veteran’s hospitals and
other locations in the U.S. and abroad during the holidays. Pitney Bowes
is providing all screening, packaging and shipping at no charge, as well
as providing thousands of volunteer hours around the country. The Red
Cross will utilize volunteers at over 300 participating chapters
nationwide to sort and deliver greetings to military and veteran’s
hospitals and military bases in November and December.
Joining the campaign this year as spokesperson is contemporary music
artist and American Red Cross celebrity cabinet member Amy Grant.
“I am honored and thrilled to be a part of the Holiday Mail for Heroes
program,” says Grant. “The service that our military men and women
provide this country year-round is invaluable and I feel it is
especially important to give thanks for their sacrifices during the
holiday season.”
Grant will celebrate the campaign’s official launch with the Red Cross
and Pitney Bowes at a Veteran’s Day event in Washington where she will
join military and public guests in signing holiday cards for the program.
“The United States currently has 1.4 million active duty members,
reservists and guards serving within our borders and abroad.
Additionally more than 24 million veterans have faithfully served our
country in the past,” notes Sherri Brown, Sr. Vice President of Service
to the Armed Forces at the American Red Cross. “With increased chapter
participation this year we hope to reach many more service members and
veterans who may be spending this holiday season away from home or
without loved ones,” says Brown.
“The men and women who serve our country in uniform deserve our thanks
every single day, and sending just one card is all it takes to make a
difference in the life of one of our nation’s heroes,” said Jon Love,
President of Pitney
Bowes Government Solutions. “We are honored to participate in this
important initiative again with the American Red Cross and look forward
to helping the public say happy holidays and thank you.”
Holiday cards should be addressed and sent to:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD
20791-5456.
Please be sure to affix adequate postage. Cards must be received no
later than December 7. Cards received after this date will be returned
to senders. 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.
Additional ways to become involved with the campaign include connecting
with fellow card senders through Facebook
at www.facebook.com/redcross
and Twitter
at www.twitter.com/redcross
and the #holidaymail hashtag.
For more information and card requirements, please visit www.redcross.org/holidaymail.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support
to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood;
teaches 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 RedCross.org or join our
blog at http://blog.RedCross.org.
About Pitney Bowes:
Pitney Bowes is a $6.3 billion global technology leader whose
products, services and solutions deliver value within the mailstream and
beyond. Founded in 1920, our company’s 35,000 employees deliver
technology, service and innovation to more than two million customers
worldwide. For more information about Pitney Bowes, its products,
services and solutions, visit www.pb.com.
Source: Pitney Bowes
Red Cross Public Affairs
Renee Kelly, 202-303-5551
KellyRe@usa.redcross.org
or
Pitney
Bowes PR
Karen King, 203-351-6189
karen.king@pb.com
