WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the
fourth year in a row, Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) and the
American Red Cross are collecting cards from the public to
distribute to U.S. military service members, veterans, and their
families across the country and abroad this holiday season.
However, the December 10
deadline for cards is approaching fast.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090108/RedCrossLOGO)
"During the past three years, Americans helped send three
million cards to our service members and veterans through Holiday
Mail for Heroes, and we are expecting another high volume of cards
this year due to positive response," said Vicki O'Meara, executive
vice president and president of Pitney Bowes Management Services.
"To help make sure there is enough time to process, sort and
deliver cards before the holidays, we are encouraging the public to
send their greetings for the campaign by December 10."
"There are currently 1.4 million active duty service members,
and tens of thousands of will find themselves away from home during
this holiday season," said Sherri
Brown, senior vice president of Service to the Armed Forces
at the American Red Cross. "Through Holiday Mail for Heroes,
Americans can help send a touch of home to our men and women in
uniform, their families and many of our nation's 24 million
veterans."
To participate in the campaign, the public can send holiday
cards with personal messages to:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD
20791-5456
Cards must be postmarked no later than December 10. Please be sure to affix adequate
postage. For reasons of processing and safety, participants are
asked to refrain from sending "care packages" or monetary gifts;
using glitter; or including any inserts with the cards.
The public can also support military members, veterans and their
families this year by making an online donation at
www.redcross.org/holidaymail. Donors can add a personal message to
one of four holiday cards designed by American Red Cross National
Celebrity Cabinet members Amy Grant,
Jane Seymour, Miley Cyrus and Dr. Phil
McGraw. The Red Cross will then deliver the printed holiday
card to a military member, veteran or family.
The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes will 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 more than 200 participating
chapters nationwide to sort and deliver holiday greetings to
military and veteran's hospitals and military bases throughout
December.
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 by using the #HMFH or #holidaymail hashtags.
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 www.redcross.org or join our blog at
http://blog.redcross.org.
About Pitney Bowes:
Celebrating its 90th year of innovation, Pitney Bowes
provides software, hardware and services that integrate physical
and digital communications channels. Long known for making its
customers more productive, Pitney Bowes is increasingly helping
other companies grow their business. Pitney Bowes is a $5.6 billion company and employs 33,000
worldwide. Pitney Bowes: Every connection is a new
opportunity™. www.pb.com
SOURCE American Red Cross