By Sally Young This Fourth of July celebrates the 236th anniversary of The Declaration of Independence.
Want to celebrate by sending an active-duty soldier a care package?
In the aftermath of September 11, it was easy to find somewhere to donate a care package to troops. But the United States Postal Service no longer accepts packages without a specific soldiers name and fewer groups are sponsoring regular efforts.
Any Soldier Instead, those wishing to send a package but who lack an address can turn to the organization Any Soldier. The organization provides the address of a soldier in any branch of the military. Those who wish to send a package first choose a branch of service, and then a soldiers name. Upon filling out an address request form, the soldiers address will be emailed. Often times, the soldier will have requested certain items. Find more information at www.anysoldier.com.
Soldiers Angels At www.soldiersangels.org, interested people or groups can adopt a soldier. This entails a commitment to send a card or letter each week and a minimum of one or two care packages a month.
Those wishing only to send letters can join the Letter Writing Team. Team members sign up for however many days a week they want to write and are sent the address of a soldier who they can write to on those days.
The Web site also provides ways to do a one-time purchase and/or donation for care packages.