CARDSFORHEROES.ORG

Frequently Asked Questions

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If you have any questions that aren't covered here, please email them to info@cardsforheroes.org.


About the cards:

What kind of cards do troops prefer?
We're told that general cards are in greatest demand since they are not time-sensitive:
  1. thinking of you, hello, wishing you well, etc.
  2. miss you
  3. love (spouse, significant other, family)
  4. birthday
Any level of crafting, styles, or themes are welcome, too: vintage, simple, stamped, paper-pieced, kid-focused, romance. They love a wide selection!

What kind of cards should I avoid sending?
Please do not send suggestive or risqué cards; we do not wish to offend any of our troops. Funny cards are okay, but keep them positive and upbeat.
Also, think about what they'd write home for - for example, we do send a few get well cards, but often by the time they receive news that someone is ill and then send a card home, that kind of message may no longer be relevant. A few wedding and new baby cards are okay to send as well, but not all units will have a need for these at the time they are sent. The general kinds of sentiments can apply to any circumstance that a serviceperson would like to write home for.

What holiday cards do you need?
We do welcome cards for specific holidays-though please be aware it may take up to two weeks to get to the field, and another two weeks for troops to send them back home. Cut-off dates are about a month prior to a holiday for that reason, and 6 weeks ahead gives us a little wiggle room. Major holidays we focus on:
  1. Valentine's Day
  2. Easter
  3. Mother's Day
  4. Father's Day
  5. Independence Day
  6. Halloween
  7. Thanksgiving
  8. Christmas (longer lead time due to heavy mail traffic)
We do have a contact for sending Hanukkah cards, and we will send some for smaller holidays too if they are provided (grandparent's day, etc).

What size should my cards be?
Any size cards are welcome, but most cards sent in are 4.25" x 5.5"; this size allows two cards to be made from one piece of letter-sized cardstock. Larger cards are permitted; we are told that letters are free for the troops to mail, so larger format cards do not cost extra for them to send.

Can I use dark cardstock?
Yes, but please attach a liner inside (lighter colored paper). Our troops may only have a bic pen to write with, so please give them space and surface to write on.

Can I make a lot of one design?
Absolutely. Your cards will be mixed with others' cards, so we are able to provide our deployed contacts with a great variety of designs.

Can I sign my name on the back of my cards?
Yes! Name and/or city, stamped or hand-written, any way you would like to do it. Please also write CARDSFORHEROES.ORG somewhere on the back if you can (not required!); we'd like to hear back from our heroes and their families at home, so hopefully sharing the web address will connect us with them.

Can I have a stamp made for the back of my cards?
Sure! To have a custom stamp made with your name and the CARDSFORHEROES.ORG URL on it, we recommend acrylic stamps made at Imagine Stamps they have quite reasonable pricing.

Can my cards be heavily embellished?
This question usually refers to those with "lumpy" embellishments that can require extra postage. This is not a problem for our servicemen and servicewomen since cards are mailed for free for them.

Do I need to send envelopes?
Yes, please provide an envelope per card. If you do not have envelopes, you may still send the cards in. Some people send us extra envelopes along with their cards, and once we're able to match an envelope to your card we can send it out. This may take some time, though, so it's best if your cards arrive with envelopes.

Are store-bought/printed cards accepted?
Yes, they are accepted as well. Our boxes mix handmade with store-bought, and clearly the handmade are the focus of this project, but you're welcome to send store-bought as well.

Do you want patriotic cards too?
Yes! Patriotic cards are often saved for Operation: Quiet Comfort (OQC) (except in summer when we're shipping for Independence Day!). These cards are given to injured heroes along with the care packages provided by OQC, and are signed by Americans with messages of gratitude.

Can I send in cards/letters written to our heroes?
Yes! Notes of gratitude are wonderful to send inside the card shipments; please do not seal the envelopes that you put those notes into so they can be reviewed for whether they're more appropriate for one of our boxes or to be sent on to Operation: Quiet Comfort (OQC). You may sign them including your name and town, and if you wish them to have the option of contacting you, your address or email address. These are sent to soldiers, airmen, marines, sailors, etc, so please address your card using a generic salutation (Dear hero, Hello, etc, or no salutation at all.)

Can my kids participate?
Yes!! Please have your children make cards, draw pictures, and write messages inside for our heroes---they love to get letters from kids!! Please guide your children as they create; inappropriate content would be drawings of guns/battles, deceased persons, scary hospital drawings, etc. Uplifting thank you messages are best! Please put the child's first name and age on the drawing or card, and send them to our same shipping addresses. Do not seal inner envelopes so they can be reviewed for whether they're more appropriate for one of our boxes or to be sent on to Operation: Quiet Comfort (OQC).


About Operation: Quiet Comfort:

Who does OQC send their packages and cards to?
Operation: Quiet Comfort sends care packages to troops injured in war; they are generally in combat support hospitals, fresh from their trauma. These men and women arrive in helicopters with no personal belongings, so they are given sweats, socks and undergarments, basic hygiene items, various comfort items, and a package of cards with thank-you and get-well messages from Americans is included in each care package. They also send items to the hospital staff who care for the injured troops.

What kind of cards does OQC need?
Thank you and get well cards, lots of them! Cards received by our Cards for Heroes project that are particularly appropriate for OQC are sent to them-especially patriotic cards, any sentiment (thinking of you etc, any that would be really nice for an injured hero in a hospital to receive.) OQC sends out so many - I think it's 5 cards per troop-so the need is great.

Can I send get well and gratitude cards directly to OQC?
Yes, if you are sending cards complete with messages inside them. You can sign them all yourself, identical or different messages, or have others in your family or community assist. OQC cards do not need envelopes, they must be 4.25" x 5.5", and include no glitter, feathers, or loosely attached embellishments. Send them to this address at any time:

  • Operation Quiet Comfort
  • PO Box 263
  • LaSalle, MI 48145

If you have cards for OQC that are not signed, either send them to one of our shipping addresses and we will get them signed, or email info@cardsforheroes.org to receive an address to mail them directly to an American who loves to write messages in them.


About shipping:

What are the deadlines, especially for holiday cards?
Visit the Homefront Blog to get news about current plans for shipping dates, and what kinds of holidays we'll be working toward at any given time. You may send in holiday-specifics at any time though; they will be stored until it is time to mail those out.

Should I pack my cards in any special way?
Any card shipments packed in any way are welcome, but since you asked . . .
  1. Insert the back of the card inside the envelope so that the front hangs out; that will save some time on our end. This keeps the card together with its matching envelope, and that's how we pack them for the troops.
  2. We might remove any special packaging you provide. We do realize some people like to pack in special ways to protect their cards (individual baggies or sleeves, etc), but please understand that those receiving these cards may not be able to treat cards with kid gloves, so we're trying not to generate any extra packaging trash on their end.
  3. You may sort by type of card if you desire, but it is not required.

What sorting categories do you use?
Cards are sorted into general categories, then on "packing day" each bag gets a broad selection from each type:
  1. seasonal (when appropriate)
  2. general (thinking of you, hello, no sentiment, etc.)
  3. birthday
  4. child-focused
  5. love/wedding/missing you
  6. thank you/get well (for Operation: Quiet Comfort)


About the heroes:

How do you choose the heroes who get these cards?
Different mail-ers have different ways of doing so. We send ongoing shipments to units who reply that they loved the cards and would like more. Others we choose from Any Soldier, searching the list by who has had the fewest shipments sent or who has requested cards.

Does it cost the troops to send mail home?
We have been told that cards and letters are free for them to mail home, and packages cost as they do here. Military addresses are considered domestic mail, so at least they don't pay international rates for packages.

Can I have cards sent to my deployed loved one?
If you have a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan who would like to receive a box of cards, please send an email to info@cardsforheroes.org, and confirm the following information:
  1. name/rank of the hero, and your relation to them
  2. their address
  3. length of time expected at that address
  4. approximate number of troops in their unit
  5. male/female breakdown if possible).
We will do what we can to get cards to them, but depending on the number of requests we get, we may/may not be able to accommodate all requests. Please do not make promises that we'll be sending cards unless you get a confirmation email that a box has been shipped to them, thanks.

Will I hear back from any heroes who receive my cards or letters?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no . . . they are busy doing their work, and often do not have time to write back to us, or to you individually either. Contacts through Any Soldier will occasionally post an update on that site, often without specifics. When we do hear from someone, we'll post their replies on the Hero Blog. Any of their loved ones on the homefront who check in on this website are also free to leave us messages telling us they've received a card we sent as well, so check the Homefront Blog too.


About donations:

Can I send a financial donation to go toward shipping costs?
Yes you may! This is all out-of-pocket for us right now. See Sponsor a Shipment for details.

Can I contribute card-making or shipping supplies?
Absolutely! Please email info@cardsforheroes.org to find out who's in need of supplies at the time you're ready to send them. The types of things that have been sent are paper, embellishments, ribbon, stamped images, rolls of ATG adhesive and tape runner refills, envelopes, packing tape.

Is my contribution tax-deductible?
Unfortunately not at this time. Stay tuned, we're working on how to do that.


If you have any questions that aren't covered here, please email them to info@cardsforheroes.org.

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