Soldiers’ Angels Holiday Community Partners

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Soldiers’ Angels is a national charity providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and their families and to improve the lives of a growing veteran population. “May No Soldier Go Unloved” encapsulates the motivation behind Soldiers’ Angels. The volunteers of Soldiers’ Angels work tirelessly in service to the organization and the veterans and military families we support.  encapsulates  the  mo.va.on  behind  Soldiers'  Angels.  The  Angels  work  .relessly  to  care  and  concern  for •  501(c)(3), tax-exempt nonprofit •  The largest volunteer network of any military charity in the country •  Provided over $90M in aid to military and veteran families •  Maintains an efficiency rating of 86%, which is above that of the

average nonprofit organization •  Fully Accredited by the Better Business Bureau •  Provided support to over 100,000 service members, veterans and

family members in 2013 alone •  Organized over 150 luncheons at VA Hospitals serving over

20,000 veterans, their families and VA Hospital staff. •  Provided sack lunches to over 2,000 homeless veterans. •  Provided hygiene kits and other necessity to over 10,000

veterans

Key Strengths:

WHAT ARE COMMUNITY PARTNERS?  Community Partners partner with Soldiers’ Angels to help us provide support to military families, wounded warriors, deployed service members and veterans.

Community partners are often individuals, families, civic groups, businesses, churches, schools, scouts, sororities and youth groups who have a desire to serve military families through Soldiers’ Angels.

For our holiday programs, we have a special Community Partnership program focused on getting cards, letters and stuffed stockings to our troops and veterans.

SENDING HOLIDAY CARDS AND LETTERS TO TROOPS AND VETS?  

As combat deployments continue to drawdown many charities, including Soldiers’ Angels, have had to discontinue the acceptance of holiday cards and letters to the troops. The volume of cards and letters exceeded our distribution abilities to the troops. While most charities will not, Soldiers’ Angels will continue to accept your holiday cards and letters from our Holiday Community Partner members only! Sign up to become a Holiday Community Partner. We will accept your cards and letters but each card and/or letter must be placed into a stocking filled with goodies for our troops and veterans. Soldiers’ Angels will deliver your stocking to a deployed service member, veteran patient, or homeless veteran. Stockings can be purchased and filled for a minimal price, which makes this the perfect project for a school, church or other civic group. Stockings can come in small to large sizes depending on your teams budget. ** Stockings must be sent to your designated area representative no later than December 11.

Due to the volume of stockings, cards and letters we expect to receive, please fill out and submit your application to become a Holiday Community Partner in advance, so we can secure your spot in this program.

Soldiers’ Angels will only accept Holiday Community Partner applications through October 31st, 2015 or until we reach our capacity to distribute the stuffed stockings.

Besides a card and/or letter in each stocking, stockings should also include any combination of the following by category:

FOOD ITEMS

Slim Jims and Beef Jerky

Packages of nuts, any kind

Cracker packets

Packages of trail mix

Coffee, ground

Tea bags, regular and herbal

Granola bars, either crunchy or chewy as well as breakfast bars and Pop Tarts

Fruit Roll-ups or Gummies

Rice Krispy treats (store bought)

Small packets of Oreos, or any small packets of cookies

Wrapped candies such as Jolly Ranchers or Dum Dum lollipops

Dried fruit and raisins

Hot Chocolate (in envelopes, not in canisters)

Instant Oatmeal packets

Single serving boxes of cereal

Small canisters of Pringles (not bagged chips)

Small, pop-top cans of fruit

HYGIENE ITEMS Trial size shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, sunscreen, shave cream, hand sanitizer, mouth wash Full size or travel size deodorant, toothpaste, dental floss, pick flossers, foot powder Toothbrushes Razors Brushes/Combs Nail clippers/nail files Pony tail bands, black or brown Bobby Pins Baby wipes or moist wipes – small packages Lens cleaning wipes Q-tips OTHER USEFUL ITEMS Socks, boot length, black or white Hand/foot warmers

Holiday  Community  Partner  Applica4on  Form  

Group  or  Business  Name:    _____________________________________    Point  of  contact  name  and  phone  number:  ____________________________________    Group  or  Business  Address:    Street:__________________________________________________________________    City:    __________________________            Zip:    _________________________    Email:  _____________________________________    Our  school,  church  or  civic  group  an.cipates  collec.ng  _____of  stuffed  stockings.    (This  is  not  a  commitment  just  an  es0mate)    By  signing  below,  I  acknowledge  that  our  group  may  only  send  holiday  cards  and  leKers  to  Soldiers’  Angels  when  stuffed  in  or  paired  with  a  filled  stocking.    I  understand  the  leKer  or  cards  must  be  appropriate  for  deployed  troops  or  veterans  and  must  include  appropriate  language  and  content  to  not  offend  any  recipients.    I  also  understand  the  stockings  must  not  contain  any  product  that  is  expired  or  set  to  expire  prior  to  the  end  of  the  par.cipa.ng  calendar  year.      Point  of  contact  signature:    _________________________________________    **  IF  your  community  par0cipants  would  like  individual  recogni0on  for  their  hand  in  this  project,  please  add  their  name  with  email  address  on  a  separate  sheet.            

For more information about becoming a Holiday Community Partner,

please contact:

Soldiers’ Angels 2700 NE Loop 410, Suite 310

San Antonio, TX 78217

P: (210) 629-0020

E: inkind@soldiersangels.org