What Will You Do With Your Day "ON"

Many will be observing a work holiday on Monday, January 16 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. However, in order to truly honor the spirit of Dr. King and his incredible life of service, many will be recognizing this day as a day on, not off, and dedicating their time to an act of service benefiting their community, a cause that is near to their heart, or a march/speech/cultural tribute to Dr. King's legacy.

In fact, the holiday is actually designated by Congress as a "Day of Service." MLK Day was initially signed into existence as a federal holiday in 1983 by President Ronald Regan and first celebrated in 1986. Then, in 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a day of service and coined the phrase a "day on, not a day off."

Every year during this time, Soldiers' Angels gets hundreds of questions from individuals, businesses, and organizations asking how they can be of service on MLK Day— and this year we are honored to finally have a designated service project that we think is a perfect way to give back:

Pledge to pack care packages for deployed and serve those who are currently serving for us.

As you probably already know, in order to send care packages to deployed through Soldiers' Angels, you have to register as an Angel and join one of our many wonderful virtual volunteer teams that directly support deployed service members— but now, for the entire month of January to honor #MLKDay, those that are currently not active Angels have the opportunity to experience the joy of creating care packages for deployed without joining as an Angel!

Simply pledge the number of care packages you are committing to pack and ship to our headquarters!

That's right! Very similar to our recent Holiday Stockings for Heroes campaign, except this time you pack a care package, not a stocking!

And, if you don't have the time to pack the care package(s) (or maybe don't have MLK Day off from your job so don't have the extra time...), you can still show your dedication to the act of service by purchasing items from our Amazon Gift Registry that will be used in care packages.

The collected care packages will be shipped immediately to provide urgent support to the hundreds of deployed waiting to be adopted due to our volunteer shortage!

We had a flood of deployed sign up to be adopted during the holiday months and are still seeking volunteers to commit to "adopting" them through their deployment (check out the next article to learn more). But while they wait for their Angel, this care package will help get them at least one care package full of much-needed supplies to let them know we are here for them!

Click Pledge Care Packages to read the full details about the campaign and pledge now. Or click Purchase Supplies to go straight to our Amazon Gift Registry.

More Deployed Waiting for Support from Soldiers' Angels than EVER Before!

As of this morning, we have 478 deployed service members waiting to be adopted... that's down from the 630 that were waiting for support earlier this week...

Our current Angels on the Deployed Adoptions Team are doing an absolutely incredible job supporting the large number of deployed that they were already supporting, as well as the recent influx of service members who recently registered for support— some Angels are adopting multiple service members at once to ensure they get the support they need as soon as possible.

But without new volunteers to help, hundreds of service members may go without support before their mail stop date!

We need an army of volunteers to step up and let these men and women know we are thinking of them! All you have to do to make an impact is to "adopt" a service member and send them at least one care package and two cards/letters every 30 days for the length of their deployment.

Don't be intimidated by the photos you may see of beautifully decorated care packages that are themed and color coordinated... that is totally optional! What matters most is what's inside the care package.

Snacks, hygiene items, socks, and downtime items are the critical components of this mission!

But, what makes this mission even more enjoyable is that you will get to personally connect with a deployed service member and customize the care packages to include the specific items that they may need or want.

In fact, some Angels form lifelong friendships with the deployed service members they adopt, often becoming like a member of their family. Like Angel Jessica and the service member she supported back in 2018. They stayed in touch virtually but never met in person— until this Christmas. When she heard he was going to have to spend the holidays alone, she invited him to her family Christmas instead! Click here to read their story.

For those that may be giving care packages a try through our MLK Day campaign, if you find out you enjoyed assembling care packages, this would be a fantastic way to continue your service beyond January!

But if you already know you are ready to commit to serve those who are currently serving for us, click the Join Now button below and join Soldiers' Angels as a Team Angel NOW so we don't leave a single deployed service member unsupported!

Calling All Photos!!

Did you participate in one of our holiday programs/campaigns? Or maybe you were a recipient of candy, stockings, or Adopt-A-Family support? 

If so, we would love to see your photos and hear your stories!!

Sharing with us is easy via our Media Portal. Just click the button below and upload your photos/share your stories!

In The Headlines

Help Us Earn the Great Nonprofits 2023 Top-Rated Award!

If you love our work then tell the world! You have an opportunity to help us make even more of a difference in our community. GreatNonprofits-a review site like TripAdvisor-is honoring highly reviewed nonprofits with their 2023 Top-Rated Awards. Won't you help us raise visibility for our work by posting a review of your experience with us? All reviews will be visible to potential donors and volunteers. It’s easy and only takes 3 minutes!

What's more... your review will help us aim high for 2023! Last year we were the THIRD highest rated nonprofit in the country on Great Nonprofits... But with your help, this year we hope to move to the SECOND highest slot! All you have to do is review. If you've reviewed in the past, leaving an updated review will also count toward our total! 

Valentines for Veterans is Back!

Let’s make sure our troops and veterans feel the love this Valentine’s Day by sending them Valentine’s Day cards! Send your cards (handmade or store- bought) + $1 per card from now through February 14, 2023. We’ll pack them in care packages for deployed and hand-deliver them to veterans across the country. Click through for full details!

Thank you for your continued support of the military community!