Service Opportunity! Non Profit that keeps troops spirits lifted! Hugs For Our Soldiers.

 

Have you heard of Hugs for Our Soldiers?  It is a volunteer based non-profit that has been supporting our troops since 2003.  I read about them the other day and was really impressed with what they do. I wanted to share the information, especially with the holidays coming up and many soldiers will be overseas and could use your love! Directly from their About Us: HUGS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to support our troops serving overseas.  We provide a touch of home to our troops by sending care packages, letters and cards and offer to the American people the opportunity to adopt and care for a deployed Soldier, Marine, Sailor or Airman.We are a 100% volunteer-based organization, so your entire donation goes to supporting our troops!We have been blessed to have touched the lives of over three-quarter million Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen through our many programs over the past 17 years. Thank you to everyone who has participated in making this possible.  We couldn't do it without YOU!

HUGS supports all branches of service and All donations are tax deductible 

To donate to any of these programs, your monetary donations can be made online HERE or you can send  checks  payable to Hugs For Our Soldiers to:

                                                                           HUGS FOR OUR SOLDIERS

                                                                    PO BOX 532   VONORE, TN 37885

Here are the various programs they offer. Click on photos or links to be taken directly to website.

Deadline is November 27th.  every Year HUGS makes Christmas stockings to send to the men and women overseas. They have a team of volunteers waiting to stuff the stockings, but just need the ingredients!!   You can make an online donation or send a check directly (payable to Hugs For Our Soldiers) 

Support your troops AND the local girl scout troops by buying an extra box to send to the troops.  You can send boxes of cookies, or make an online donation . As one soldier wrote "Back home, Girl Scout cookies are a once-a-year event that one might miss if they didn't go to Walmart or Target on the right weekend.  Here though, in a world that has none of the comforts of home, your simple box becomes so much more than just cookies.  They become a way for the battle-hardened and battle-weary soldiers to not be completely disconnected from the homes they can't wait to see again." 

THIS IS THE CURRENT MOST NEEDED
Transition from deployment to home can be a tough challenge for a soldier, and many single soldiers dont have anyone to return home to, and they arrive to barracks that are completely empty of EVERYTHING.

 A 15$ donation can provide the following:

Snacks for their room to hold them over the first 24 hours

 

Place shampoo, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste at their sink

 

Hang a fresh bath towel on their shower door

 

And provide them with a set of twin sheets and pillow for their bed

You can make donation online or mail a check.

This is the easiest one to do!!  When you shop at smile.amazon.com,  Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to Hugs for Our Soldiers. No hidden fees or charges, it is the same as regular Amazon, except a portion of every purchase goes towards the non profit of your choice.

You use the same account on Amazon.com and  smile.amazon.com, . Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are the same.

On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select Hugs for Our Soldiers as your charitable organization before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make on AmazonSmile will result in a donation to HUGS! 

Anything you purchase for their care packages (see below) can be shipped directly from Amazon to the HUGS address!!

Care Packages are something that everyone loves!  here is a list of items they need. 

Food Items

• Individual size snacks or cans of Pringles, pretzels, cookies, crackers, nuts, trail mix, peanut butter or cheese crackers, sunflower seeds
• Hard Candy (Lifesavers, Jolly Ranchers, Tootsie Pops) and Mints
• Gummy bears, chewing gum
• Individual servings of powdered drinks for water bottles such as Lemonade, Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Tang, Lipton To Go Tea, Crystal Light On The Go, energy drinks, Propel
• Individual coffee, tea bags
• Beef Jerky, Slim Jims
• Pop Tarts, Nutri-Grain, Granola, Cereal Bars, trail mix
• Small flip top canned fruit
• Pudding cup
• Tuna & crackers
• Peanut Butter (small plastic container)  
• Chocolate between the months of October and March only

Other Items

• Twin set of sheets
• Powdered laundry detergent (single load)
• White socks (calf or boot height)
• Hand/Toe warmers during cold months
  
• Footballs, baseballs, gloves
• Crossword Puzzles, Word Search, Sudoku 
• Playing Cards, board games, card games 
• Stationery & Envelopes
• Pens/Pencils
• Assorted greeting cards for Soldiers to use to write their families & friends
• Batteries (AA)
• Glade Stick-ups or room deodorizers
• Bug Repellent in lotions & pump-spray bottles-- NO AEROSOL
   

 Mail Your Items to: 

              Hugs for Our Soldiers

              P.O. Box 532

              Vonore, TN 37885

General Instructions for care packages are HERE (IMPORTANT)

When mailing a box to Hugs for Our Soldiers, please mail Parcel Post and not Priority Mail.  This saves you about 30% and the box still gets here in a reasonable time. 

 

If you're contemplating using the Flat Rate box, ask your postal worker to weigh it at the Parcel Post price to determine which mailing method is better for you economically.

So if you are looking for something you can do or contribute, or a non profit to support, Hugs For Our Soldiers seems like an amazing option. it is 100% volunteer based, so 100% of your donation goes where it is supposed to go, it helps raise the spirits of the brave men and women in the military, and it provides a small bit of home to those who are away from their families!

Make A Wish Foundation

As many of you know, my oldest son, Peter, had a heart transplant in 2005.

He was born with a rare heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. The left side of his heart did not form properly and did not function. In a series of 3 surgeries the doctors rerouted his blood through the right side. The first 4 years of his life were nothing more than hospitals, doctors visits, medications and naps. At the age of 5 a heart transplant was necessary. we waited in the hospital for 3 FULL MONTHS hooked up to monitors and drugs to keep the heart pumping etc. Honestly the first 5 years of his life were not really a life for him. In the 2 1/2 years since his transplant he has really been able to do anything and everything he has always wanted to do. he can run, jump on the trampoline, play sports, go to school and more. He is finally having a normal life.

A few months back at a heart biopsy his cardiologist, Dr Robinson, asked if Peter had gotten his "wish" yet. I didnt know what he was talking about and he told me about Make A Wish. He said that Peter would qualify.

I thought Make A Wish was for kids who had terminal illnesses and Cancer and Lukemia and other diseases like that. It isn't.

He told me that it is for any child who has a medical issue that could be potentially life threatening. Plus with Peters history and past hospital life and past medical history he is 100% deserving.

He said kids that spend a lot of time in the hospital, have medical hardships etc. This is their chance to go out and finally have a normal day and spend time with their families and make up for lost time.

They can go somewhere(WDW being the #1 wish of all time), meet their favorite celebrity or be someone for a day(fireman, policeman etc).

So, I submitted his name to Make a Wish and they called me to get the information. They sent paperwork to Dr Robinson, he filled it out. We were contacted Tuesday. He has been approved for a wish!!

The wish makers are coming on Wednesday to talk to Peter, give us all the paperwork etc.

Peter REALLY wants to go to Disney World in Orlando. So that is what he is wishing for.

Make a Wish kids get the hook up down there too! They treat them like royalty. They make their trip the greatest day in their lives. I am so excited for Peter.

I know that I love Disneyworld. My husband and I went there for our 10th anniversary and just had a blast. We are really excited to be able to take the kids. I know that Make a Wish is going to be able to make it so much more exciting than had it just been us going for a regular vacation. I know that Make a Wish will make it a dream come true for Peter.

Make a Wish started in 1980. The very first wish was a 7 year old boy with Lukemia. All he wanted to do was be a police officer. He had a day as a police officer. They custom tailored a uniform, he got the city tour , he was sworn in, got to take a motorcycle proficiency test to earn his wings. The next day he was back in the hospital. All he wanted to do was look at his uniform and hat and wings and remember his dream coming true. He passed away a day later. How much better his life was for having that day. That one very special day just for him. He was able to live a normal life and have his special wish come true before passing away.

Ever since then, it has been the mission of make a wish to help as many children as possible.

Since 1980, make a wish has sponsored over 162,000 worldwide dreams.

They now grant a wish every 40 minutes!

Make a wish relies on Donations from businesses and individuals. They have over 25,000 VOLUNTEERS helping with wish granting, fundraising and special assistance.

78% of funds is used towards wishes. 8% goes towards management and paid workers and the remaining 14% goes towards advertising and fundraising.

Make a Wish is a really great non profit charity. To see how you can help, visit http://www.wish.org/.

You can donate money, you can sponser a wish, you can donate frequent flier miles, tangible goods and items and more. Some companies will match their employees monetary donations to Make a Wish as well. You can even shop online for items relating directly to wishes:

http://www.shop.com/wishgranter-a.shtml?sourceid=597

I am really grateful to Make A Wish. They are a wonderful non profit organization to donate to, and such a worthy cause.