It’s time to get into Holiday mode! We’ve already had people email, call, and message us about Holiday Stockings for Heroes. We’re excited to share some updates on the program and how it will work this year and beyond.

For those who don’t know, each year, we host a holiday stocking drive, asking companies, organizations, families, and individuals to come together and spread holiday cheer to Service Members and Veterans by pledging to send holiday stockings. The holiday season can be especially difficult for active duty Service Members, Guard and Reserve members, and Veterans in VA Hospitals. This campaign helps make their season brighter.

How it works

All you have to do is collect items from our list of suggested items, stuff them into a holiday stocking, and send or deliver them to the base, unit, deployed Service Member, or VA you select via the Soldiers’ Angels online volunteer portal. We have people who send a few stockings and we have larger groups who do a collection for items, stuff them together and send them off. Our larger groups (usually corporations) have sent as many as 7,000 stockings!

How to Participate

We’ve made a few more efficient changes to the process that we think volunteers will appreciate, so even if this is not your first rodeo, keep reading! This year, you can select where you want to send your holiday stockings: overseas to a Deployed Unit, to a stateside installation, or to a local VA Hospital where you can HAND DELIVER them instead of shipping them!

Step 1: Register to volunteer – Everyone who participates must become a verified Angel in our database. This is because you’ll have access to addresses and information to ship your stockings. We want to ensure we know exactly who has access for the safety and security of our heroes. Here is a step-by-step process if you have trouble.

Our Angel Verification can be done one of two ways, and you can select which way during registration.

• Donation Verification: Make any donation to Soldiers’ Angels. Once processed, you’ll get immediate portal access to select and participate in opportunities. Click this link to make a donation and gain immediate basic access to the portal and opportunities, typically within 12-24 hours. 

• Social Security Address Trace: Use Verified First, a third-party background check company. Soldiers’ Angels covers the cost. After registration, Verified First will email you a form requiring your date of birth and Social Security Number. This is not a credit check and does not have any impact on your credit. Soldiers’ Angels never sees this info. The check takes 48 -72 hours, so it will take a little longer before you can access our volunteer portal and opportunities.

Step 2: Beginning October 1, 2024, volunteer opportunities will be available for Holiday Stockings for Heroes on your Angel volunteer dashboard. Choose the opportunity you want to support and pledge the number of stockings you will contribute to that opportunity. Please note that if the request is for 50 stockings, you do not have to pledge 50 to select it. The goal for this location is to receive 50 total stockings. So if you send 5, others will be able to send the rest, you are not responsible for the full 50. (Having trouble? Here’s a step-by-step guide)

Step 3: Host your collection drive/go shopping/pack your stockings. Here’s a story to inspire you. Fill your stockings with candy, games, socks and beanies, salty snacks, handwritten cards, and even DIY ornaments! More on what to put in your stocking here.

Step 4: Ship or deliver your stockings. Be sure to report your support! After you ship or deliver your stockings, drop back into the volunteer portal and report that you have completed the opportunity! This ensures we can confirm the volunteer opportunity will receive the correct number of stockings. We don’t want SOME but not ALL of the Service Members/Veterans to receive a stocking! 😔 So this is a very important step to help us ensure everyone is supported! Please note, if you are shipping to a APO/FPO/DPO address, you will need a customs form.

Packages will need to be postmarked or delivered by December 7th. Participants are responsible for all shipping/delivery costs to get the stockings to the designated recipient location. Please do not ship your stuffed stockings to Soldiers’ Angels Headquarters in San Antonio unless you are directed to do so by the coordinator.

Other ways to participate

No time to pledge stuffed stockings this year? Consider donating instead! Your donations will help us cover the cost of shipping the stockings across the country and around the world. You can also purchase items from our Amazon Gift registry! The extra items you provide will help us ensure every stocking is filled to the brim!

Our Holiday Stockings for Heroes program is a huge hit with Service Members and Veterans, who look forward to the stockings every year. Help us spread holiday cheer to those who are away from their families, ill or injured in service to this country. Get started today.

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