Lehigh Valley Press and our sister company Blue Ridge Communications are once again partnering with Keystone Military Families to support the Stockings For Soldiers program.

KMF annually ships between 8,100 and 10,000 holiday stockings filled with food, hygiene products and other items, along with Christmas cards, to our servicemen and women stationed around the world, just in time for Christmas.

“This annual effort helps boost spirits, demonstrates our caring support and shows our troops overseas how much they are truly appreciated by all of us,” BRC Marketing/Community Relations Coordinator Cindy Mellinger said. “Without this initiative, many of our soldiers may feel forgotten during the Christmas season.”

For many years, I have coordinated the collection efforts on behalf of The Press. I have worked with schools in the Lehigh Valley, where students decorate cutout stockings for the military members complete with heartfelt messages thanking them for their service. Local churches and women’s clubs have stepped forward in providing items for the military members who will not be home for Christmas. And so many more of our readers have donated to this effort. I am so grateful to everyone for their support.

Trudy Unangst, with Unangst Tree Farm, Bath, saw our announcement of collection efforts years ago and has created her own network of organizations willing to help. Those include Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club, Bethlehem Christian School, Miracle League and George Wolf Elementary School in Bath, just to name a few.

This list is current for 2024. Our packages go to all branches of the military and to locations in Kuwait, Iraq, Korea, ships at sea and any other troops who request support from home. All items are sorted and packed according to the requests we get directly from the troops or their families. Since we are gearing up for the holiday season, we have added the special holiday items to our list.

• Christmas stockings: 20 inches to 24 inches in size (handmade or purchased)

• Christmas hats: Santa, reindeer or elf type

• Paper or plastic Christmas decorations; no glass ornaments

• Ground/instant coffee, K-cups, hot tea, coffee creamer and sugar packets

• Hot chocolate or hot cider

• Power bars, cereal bars, trail mix, granola bars and healthy snacks

• Meat snacks: beef or turkey jerky

• Sunflower seeds and nuts in small packages

• Individual snacks: crackers, cookies, cheese/cracker kits

• Candy canes

• Small sewing kits and manicure kits

• Sunscreen and lip balm with sunscreen (Blistex as one example)

• Aspirin, Tylenol and cold medicines in small packages

• Vitamins and protein powder

• Energy drinks and similar products

• Foot odor control insoles for boots, foot pads, blister pads

• Men’s and women’s calf high socks or boot socks in black or white

• Hand and foot warmers

• Thermal gloves or glove liners

Monetary donations are needed to help ship the care packages. This is always our biggest need by far. Shipping costs have increased annually, and it does not matter how many items we have if we do not have money to ship it. There are thousands of troops counting on us to send them some love and cheer from home. Checks should be made payable to Keystone Military Families, c/o Lehigh Valley Press, 1633 N. 26th St., Allentown, 18104.

Please note: The U.S. Postal Service regulations do not allow anything in aerosol cans or hand sanitizer to be shipped, and shipping currently takes about 14-21 days to the combat zones. It takes us about a week to get everything sorted and boxed. Please keep this in mind when you are checking expiration dates on food items. We are currently not accepting any books.

The drop off deadline is Nov. 12. In November and December 2023, we shipped 12,108 stockings to troops all over the world.

If you have extra Christmas cards, sign them for our servicemen and women who may be missing being home this Christmas. We will certainly deliver those to KMF.

If you know someone who likes to crochet, we have instructions for “prayer squares,” which are attached to inspirational messages for the military members to slip into their pockets. I have those instructions available at your request.

If you prefer a safer way to donate, you can visit brctv.com/stockingsforsoldiers, select the monetary amount you would like to donate and choose your donation method through either PayPal or a debit/credit card. Blue Ridge is accepting monetary donations through Nov. 16.

Thank you, in advance, for the continued caring you show to these men and women. Should you have any questions, please call 610-740-0944, ext. 3705, or email dgalbraith@tnonline.com.

Hopefully our combined efforts will make their holidays a little brighter, knowing they are thought of fondly by those at home.