A program sponsored by the Red Cross called Holiday Mail for Heroes gives people the opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas to service members stationed throughout the US and abroad, as well as veterans and their families. 

Residents, staff, family members and visitors of Willson House and Jason Lee Manor signed over 200 Christmas cards that were packaged up on Friday to be distributed to service people who won’t be able to come home for Christmas.  

Thank you to all who took the time to do a small thing to honor the men and women who have bravely served our country and to those who continue to do so.  Willson House is located at 1625 Center St. NE in Salem. 

Willson House and Jason Lee Manor have many veterans living with us who sacrificed so much to keep our country safe.  We all have a chance to say thank you and happy holidays to veterans and service men and women stationed throughout the U.S. and abroad by participating in “Holiday Mail for Heros.”  We’ve set a goal to collect 200 cards.  If you’d like to help us reach that goal bring signed cards to the reception desk at Willson House by noon on Friday, December 6th.

As they have done in the past, for the 2013 holiday season the Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are sponsoring a "Holiday Mail for Heroes" program to distribute holiday cards to service members, a program that encompasses not just troops who are recovering in military hospitals but also service members stationed throughout the U.S. and abroad, as well as veterans and their families.

Well-wishers who would like to send Christmas (and other seasonal) cards to U.S. service members should address those cards to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P O Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD  20791-5456

All cards must be postmarked no later than Friday, December 6, 2013 in order to ensure sufficient time for sorting and distribution before the holidays.



The Red Cross provides these additional guidelines for sending cards to service members:

    •    Ensure that all cards are signed
    •    Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.”  Cards addressed to specific individuals cannot be delivered through this program.
    •    Only cards are being accepted.  Do not send letters.
    •    Do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
    •    Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
    •    Please refrain from choosing cards with glitter or loose glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.
    •    If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate postal shipping boxes.  Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.
    •    Please note that the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program is for the delivery of holiday cards only.  Those wishing to donate items such as phone cards or military comfort kits should go to the Help our Troops section of the Red Cross online catalog.

Thank you for joining us to do a small thing to honor the men and women who have bravely served our country and those who continue to do so.  For any questions, please feel free to call Mary Reitan at 503.502.4509.