Please Lend a Helping Hand (for military families)

http://www.siteforsavings.com/content_mas/hlphand.htm ^ | 25 November 2003 | Martin Sloane

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

Please Lend a Helping Hand

Send Your Unwanted Coupons to the families of our Military Personnel Serving Overseas

One of the nicest things you can do with coupons you do not wish to use is to send them to military families overseas. Living overseas on military pay is not easy and these families really need your unwanted coupons to stretch their budgets. Unfortunately they do not receive the Sunday coupon inserts. Lending a helping hand shows that you appreciate the sacrifices these families make for the defense of our country.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

It's EASY enough to do and the site has a list of addresses which will redistribute coupons to military families. You can also send coupons directly to overseas commissaries.

I grab coupon inserts when I trash my Sunday paper, cut out the coupons (so more fit in an envelope) and send them to an APO address.

ALSO, if you want to donate $: http://www.commissaries.com/certificheck/

"Commissary Gift Certificates can be purchased several ways * Purchase to give as a gift to an authorized shopper for a special occasion. Go to "Designate your Gift of Groceries." * Purchase and take delivery, then forward to a military relief organization locally. Go to "Designate your Gift of Groceries." * Elect to donate through one of three non-profit organizations: the Air Force Aid Society for military families worldwide, the USO (for service members overseas), or Fisher House Foundation for families staying in one of 30 comfort homes near military hospitals worldwide. Once there are enough donated certificates to pass along, CertifiChecks bundles them up and forwards them to the designated charity which then distributes them as need arises."

[Severa]

Thanks for the great post. I'd also like to add that commissaries (at least the ones around here) DON'T accept the coupons printed from the Internet, so everyone please keep that in mind as you gather your coupons.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

I was just about to ask that. Seemed unlikely.
Thanks!

[Covenantor]

For those interested in providing calling cards for the troops to call home during the holidays go to:
VFW Foundation
http://www.operationuplink.org/

donations can be made to:
Operation Uplink, VFW Foundation
406 W. 34th Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
(800) 479-5228 or (816) 756-3390
or email uplink@vfw.org for more information

It's a good thing.

[CindyDawg]

I've been thinking about what I want to do this next year and decided that I would like to adopt a military family that has a husband/parent over-seas. Nothing special. Just remembering birthdays, encouragement notes etc. Do you know if anything like this available?

[SandRat]

Well, just to let others know the Optimist Club here ran a Coats for Kids collection from Oct - just today. End result is that 10 LARGE 32 gal bags of coats, gloves, scarves, stocking caps alone were delivered to the Post Chaplain (yes I said Post Chaplain) to go to the military children that needed it.

There were many more bags distributed throughout the surrounding community.

Yes it does snow in southern Arizona!

Snow made its first visit to Cochise County and the Sierra Vista area this morning as the wintry veil graced the Carr Canyon Road early this morning. The overnight snow is expected to be a quick hit, leaving behind cold temperatures but sunny weather. Weather may have played a role in vehicle accidents, including a fatal collision, near Bisbee today. (Ed Honda-Herald/Review)

[SandRat]

Ping

[Think free or die]

What a great idea. Thank you!

[NormsRevenge]

Bump

[Jackson Brown]

Here is another way to help the soldiers and their families!

As many people know, soldiers get a free ride back to the states for R and R and when rotated. However, they often have to pay for the trip to their home from the point where they first land in the US.

Here is a way to help them get back to their families by donating extra "frequent flyer" or other credit card air miles to them.

Go to http://www.heromiles.org/ and read all about it. It's pretty simple and the airlines are being very helpful!

[VOA]

For additional info on air-fares for military, check the following thread, especially post 25 because Northwest Airlines runs it's own program separate from the heromiles program: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1037683/posts
Additionally, some airlines will bend their rules a bit for dependents. "montrosebeat" reported on
a previous thread that Delta waived those 14-day penalty for his wife and kids
in purchasing domestic airfare (after they get a military plane ride to the USA);
I think she just had to bring a military ID and her husbands orders (deployed to Iraq)
to get Delta to help her out.

"It never hurts to ask, politely."

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

Wow. Nice idea. I'll ask next Monday.
If you live near a base - perhaps contacting a chaplain or information office or ...?

[notpoliticallycorewrecked]

You might try to become a pen pal through the various organizations that will connect with a guy or gal overseas by email.

Most military units will not release any information about family members or their unit members overseas. They are VERY protective, as they should. The best way for you to get connected with a family is through a church or a friend.

We had a family call our military unit wanting to do something for the children of the family members. Our Ready Families unit finally allowed them to bring Christmas candy in unopened bags to help the Family Support group to make mini Christmas stockings for all the younger kids of the guard members. The unit members then were able to take home a special stocking for their child. It was a big hit.

We cleared the family to come onto base to drop off the candy. We gave them a mini tour to reward their kindness. Their children had never been on a military base before so they has saucer eyes, then they saw a MP with a machine gun slung over his shoulder. Oh my, that really got them excited.

[TxBec]

You know, I saw more snow living at Huachuca for 5 years that I have seen here in Texas in 23 years. That's pretty sad.

[kimosabe31]

Great post Lurker...thanks

[Coleus]

`

[TruthNtegrity]

This needs some major pings! And thanks.

This is easy for people to do, mailing them doesn't cost as much as sending a package (trust me, I know!) and you can cut the coupons from those pesky Sunday inserts, and do some good!

[SAMWolf]

PING and a bump.

Thanks for the ping Coleus

[radu]

Thanks for posting this, FormerlyAnotherLurker.
And thanks so much for the ping, SAM.

Got the site bookmarked so the addresses will be handy. This is a much better use for coupons than as fire-fodder, which is what ours usually end up as.

[Soaring Feather]

Thanks for the ping and bump!