Holiday Cards Are on Their Way to Nation's Heroes

The American public has answered the invitation from the Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc. to "send a touch of home" to service members and veterans with hundreds of thousands of holiday cards.

Today is the last day to postmark and send cards to the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign, which is jointly sponsored by the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes, and mail is still arriving at a rapid clip.

"The Red Cross has just witnessed an outpouring of care for our service men and women, veterans and military families," said Sherri Brown, senior vice president of American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces. "Americans are making sure that every one of our heroes who cannot be home for the holidays receives a card."

Brown went on to explain that there are 2 million active duty members, reservists and guards, and more than 24 million veterans. Tens of thousands of these men and women are not going to be home for the holidays.

"Pitney Bowes is thrilled to see the tremendous response of greetings and thanks from the American public to the men and women that serve our country," said Jon Love, president of Pitney Bowes Government Solutions. "We are very proud of the work we do on the campaign and will do whatever it takes to make sure every American's card gets to its proper destination: the hands of a hero."

For the third year in a row, Pitney Bowes is screening holiday cards for hazardous materials. Pitney Bowes then packages and ships the cards to more than 300 Red Cross chapters.

Red Cross volunteers will be delivering the cards to military bases and hospitals, veteran's hospitals and other locations in the U.S. and abroad during the rest of December.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization -- not a government agency -- and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

About Pitney Bowes:

Pitney Bowes is a $6.3 billion global technology leader whose products, services and solutions deliver value within the mailstream and beyond. Founded in 1920, our company's 35,000 employees deliver technology, service and innovation to more than two million customers worldwide.