There’s one thing we know for sure here at Soldiers’ Angels: Letter writing is not a lost art. We have thousands of Angels who send letters to deployed Service Members. Throughout the year, we field a lot of questions about this volunteer opportunity from people looking for a “Pen Pal.”

While we do have volunteers who write and send letters, it is not a traditional pen pal program. The letter-writing opportunity we offer is typically a one-time commitment. While Service Members do sign up to receive letters, they are not required to write back, as their mission is always first. However, very often our Service Members do write back, and when they do, you are welcome to communicate with them.

How Letter Writing works

One of the small joys while deployed is to hear your name called at mail call. Sadly, some Service Members don’t get mail from back home. That’s why we write letters! The Letter Writing opportunity is for Service Members who are waiting for adoption (where they receive regular care packages), and for those who might need additional support. As a registered Angel, you can go into the system and select the Letter Writing opportunity, choose someone to send a letter to, and get started.

Deployed Adoptions

What a lot of people don’t realize is that our Deployed Adoptions opportunity is actually more suited for building a supportive relationship with a Service Member. Through this opportunity, Angels are assigned a Service Member to support throughout their entire deployment. The requirement is to send one care package and one letter to the assigned Service Member once per month. Again, they are not required to write back, but are more likely to write back eventually as more care packages come. We’ve seen so many beautiful friendships blossom. Angels learn more about their Service Members’ likes and needs and get very good at sending amazing care packages that brighten their days.

“Soldiers’ Angels has been wonderful to my husband while he has been deployed. This is his first deployment and it is such a morale boost to get mail while he’s away from family. Our ‘volunteer angel’ has been wonderful and made sure to send things that my husband has requested or needed. We both appreciate all that they do!” – Suzanne

As you can see, our Letter Writing opportunity is not like a traditional pen pal program, but it is very rewarding and does a lot of good for those who serve. Want to sign up to become an Angel Volunteer? Click here to start the Angel Verification process.

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