MIAMI, FLA. (August 23, 2023) — In preparation for this year's holiday season, the American Red Cross South Florida Region is launching its annual Holiday for Heroes initiative. Holiday for Heroes is a long-running campaign that offers residents across South Florida a special way to care for and honor our military heroes.
Holiday for Heroes provides the community with the opportunity to write messages and donate items for holiday care packages to be distributed to active-duty military members deployed around the world and local veterans in hospitals or nursing homes. These items and notes are graciously donated by residents and placed inside holiday stockings hand-sewn by volunteers. For more than ten years, South Florida Red Cross volunteers have cut and sewn hundreds of stockings. Holiday for Heroes started in the Naples and Fort Myers area but has since spread throughout the entire region.
The Red Cross, with partners, will assemble and deliver these stockings, filled with messages of thanks and donated items, to military members and veterans away from their families during the holidays. Last year, Red Cross assembled and delivered more than 1200 stockings.
"Serving the U.S. military community from the time a service member takes the oath to navigating life as a veteran is at the heart of what we do at the American Red Cross. As a veteran, I know first-hand what it means to know your community supports you. Working with our partners and local community ensures that our service members and veterans understand how much we appreciate their sacrifices for our country," said Ivan Sterpin, Service to the Armed Forces and International Services Director for the South Florida Red Cross.
Items for care packages can be purchased from your favorite online retailer and shipped directly to the Red Cross collection site at 7051 Cypress Terrace, #110, Fort Myers, FL 33907. Additionally, residents can find a complete list of items that can be donated by visiting redcross.org/HolidayForHeroes.
To participate, items must be shipped to the collection site mentioned above or dropped off at one of the locations below between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. by Monday, October 16.
Greater Miami and the Keys Chapter: 335 SW 27th Avenue, Miami, FL 33135
Broward County Chapter: 3696 North Federal Highway, Suite 101, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
Palm Beach and Treasure Coast Chapter: 1250 Northpoint Parkway, West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter: 7051 Cypress Terrace, #110, Fort Myers, FL 33907
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/SouthFlorida, or visit us on Facebook or Twitter at @SFLRedCross.