Five Ways You Can Support Our Troops During The Holidays
Major holidays such as Thanksgiving can be difficult times when you are alone, away from family
If you’ve ever wondered what Thanksgiving can look like for one of our troops, there are several common scenarios (however, this is not an exhaustive list). Deployed troops may have holiday meals in their mess hall while their family has dinner back home without them. Or single servicemen and women stationed away from their families and loved ones stateside may experience the holidays alone or participate in a base-coordinated gathering.
Sometimes military members may be invited to a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by a local family, and if they’re fortunate they are home for the holidays and able to spend the time with their family. Whatever the case, holidays can be tough, and it’s a nice reminder for those of us who have everything to be grateful that we can help others who serve our country and sacrifice so much for the rest of us.
How can you help, you may wonder? Well, help, assistance and support for our troops during the holidays can look like many different things. Writing letters, sending care packages, donating your time, money or opening to your home to American service members for a home cooked meal and a little piece of home.
You should only do what you can, what you’re comfortable with, and what makes you feel happy. But giving to others, supporting those who do so much for our country is a great way to practice gratitude and celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
Here are five ways you can support our American military during Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
Soldiers’ Angels
Soldiers’ Angels provides many different opportunities to support our troops. If you’re located in Atlanta, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina
Additionally, you can click on their Programs page to find a list of almost 20 separate organizations they support in which you can support our troops virtually, donate money or goods, send packages or donate your time. Their programs are divided by veterans, deployed troops, wounded troops and families in case you want to help a specific group.
Adopt-A-Platoon
This organization sounds like exactly what it is. They accept financial tax-deductible donations to create care packages for deployed platoons. You can donate once or set-up monthly donations. Get the details here.
Forgotten Soldier’s Outreach Inc.
This charity accepts donations to defray the costs of preparing and shipping care packages, items for care packages as well as volunteer opportunities on-site in their Florida location. You can also send letters to soldiers via a form on their website. Find a list of needed care package items here.
America’s Adopt-A-Soldier
In addition to accepting donations, event hosting, and volunteer opportunities, this organization helps you send cards and letters to veterans in veteran’s homes and hospitals or active-duty military on deployments. America’s Adopt-A-Soldier’s website is located here, however, the most up-to-date information appears to be on their Facebook page
Any Soldier
This long-running organization facilities letter writing and the sending of care packages to any Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman, or Coastguardsmen. You can also send donations and also donate your car.
Writing a letter, sending a care package, donating your time or money may seem like a small thing to you, but it could be the world to one our service men or women. You’re practicing gratitude when you give without expecting a response, when you support someone else happens and well-being by sending along a nice thought or a simple thank you. And isn’t that the meaning of Thanksgiving?
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