Welcome to KeystoneSoldiers.com
Monday, February 08 2010 @ 04:02 PM MST

Welcome

***** We will be closed on Wed 2/10 due to another snow storm. Please check here for information on Sat 2/13. Be sure to join us at Bon Ton in Berkshire Mall on Mon 2/15 from 10 AM to 4 PM for our fundraiser! *****

***** There is a donation drop box in front of our door in our building if we are not available or donations may be dropped off at Start to Finish Sportswear on the first floor of our building.Please do not leave cash, video games or dvds in the drop box. *****

Welcome to Keystone Soldiers!
Volunteers supporting those on the frontlines of FREEDOM!

It is very easy to say we support our troops, it is another thing entirely to show you support them.

We are a 100% volunteer non profit organization. Through our organization and website you can show your support by becoming a volunteer, holding a fundraiser, collecting items on our list for packages, writing letters and cards to our troops or sponsoring a care package (or several!). You may also make a donation to help with postage or you can sponsor a special care package to one of our troops. There are opportunities available for anyone interested in helping. Just pick up the phone and call us or send an email with Volunteer in the subject line.

The information for writing to the troops is listed in the Penpals N Packages section. Please follow the instructions there. We do NOT give out any personal information on our troops for their safety and security. Each letter you write will go to a different member of our military serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Korea or any other area we have troops away from home. Most of the troops who receive your letters do take the time to write back however we cannot guarantee a response. The main focus is to send them encouragement and support from home.

**Our contact email is keystonemilitary@yahoo.com! Please send ALL email communications to this address.

If you are in the military or have someone serving our country you would like added to our care package list or penpal list (or both) please send an email to: Keystone Soldiers and we will make sure they receive some letters and packages. If there is something special they need please be sure to let us know in your email. We will do our very best to get it in their care package! If underwear or T-shirts are requested please include sizes. You are also welcome to send us photos of your soldier no matter where they are from or where they are serving. We will add it to our gallery and post it on our Wall of Fame in our office.

We have 2 different addresses! There is no street delivery by the post office for our building in Leesport. Please make sure you are using the correct address so that your packages do not get returned.

Monetary donations, inquiries, cards & letters for the troops should be mailed to:

Keystone Soldiers
P.O. Box 152
Fleetwood, PA 19522

Please use the following address for shipping all physical donations via common carrier, UPS, DHL and FedEx Ground:

Keystone Soldiers
P.O. Box 252
5 S. Centre Ave (Route 61)
Schoolside Plaza - Suite A1
Leesport, PA 19533

Phone: 610-698-2122

Our current Hours of Operation are **Wed 10 AM to 1 PM and **Sat 10 AM to 1 PM. Donation drop off can also be scheduled by calling the phone listed above. Please try to give us at least 48 hours notice so we can have volunteers available to assist. You are always welcome to visit us at this address during the posted hours of operation. Visitors are not only welcome they are encouraged! There is plenty of work for all who want to help!! Our location is very easy to find. It is just 10 miles south of the Route 61S exit on I78 and 10 miles north of Reading, PA.

There is a link on the right side of the website where you can make a donation through Paypal or you can download our pledge/donation form and mail it to us. Your contributions are what keep the packages and mail flowing. We appreciate every penny! No donation is too small or too large and it all goes to shipping the care packages to our troops.

***If you contact us by email or are registering for the website, PLEASE, please be sure you include your correct email address and user name.*** There is a link at the top of the page on email settings. It will help you make sure you get our reply. We are on moderated registration so each new member must be approved by an admin. If you do not receive your password within 24 hours please send us an email and we will check on the problem.

~Lordzmom

Current Care Package List

Monday, January 04 2010 @ 08:00 AM MST

Contributed by: Keystone

Current Wish List for Care Packages:

This list is current and was updated on January 4th, 2010. Our packages go to all branches of the military and to locations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Korea 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. Our mailing address is posted at the top of the page. Please use the street address ONLY for shipping via UPS, FedEx, DHL or common carrier! Please use the Fleetwood post office box for letters, cards and checks.

*Cold drink mixes – Gatorade, Crystal Lite, Kool Aid or the individual flavor tubes you add to bottled water
Ground Coffee (not instant) and hot tea. Coffee creamer and sugar packets too!
*Power Bars, cereal bars, trail mix, granola bars and healthy snacks
Ramen Noodle packs (the big cups are hard to pack and limit what we can fit in the packages)
*Slim Jims, *Beef or Turkey Jerky
Sunflower Seeds & Nuts
*Individual snacks like chips, crackers, cookies, cheese/cracker kits
*Peanut Butter & Jelly – small size plastic jars please
Small sewing kits and manicure kits
*Sunscreen and insect repellent, Chap Stick with sunscreen, Carmex, Blistex
*Body wash mens and ladies - small travel sizes (not hotel bottles)
Shampoo - mens and ladies - small travel sizes (not hotel sizes
Toothbrushes only, NO toothpaste
Deodorant - travel size
*Foot Powder and foot cream for athlete's foot
Odor Eaters (for boots), Dr. Scholl's foot pads, blister pads
Hand Sanitizer - small size bottles to carry with them
Razors and Shave cream – non-aerosol only
Mens and Ladies underwear in sizes Small, Med, Large
Mens and Ladies calf high socks or boot socks in black or white.
Hand and foot warmers
Thermal gloves or glove liners
New or used game systems like PS3, PS2, WII, Xbox or Xbox 360
Video games for the systems above or small hand-held games
*CDs and DVDs - New or used are fine. Current releases are appreciated
*AT&T Global Pre-Paid Calling Cards (available at www.aafes.com)
****Money for shipping costs. Please!

* = Items most needed or requested by the troops!

****Monetary donations are needed to help us ship the care packages. This is always our biggest need by far. Shipping costs have increased and it doesn't matter how much "stuff" we have if we don't have money to ship it. We really need to be able to get the packages out every week. We ship Wednesday and Saturday and are currently sending at least 50 boxes every week. There are thousands of troops who are counting on us to send them some love and cheer from home!

You can print this list to share with others or take shopping with you by clicking the link at the top of the article! You are welcome to print as many copies as you like so please pass them on to others who are interested in supporting our troops.

Please do not send any more cans of vegetables or outdated food items. They cost a lot to throw away. If it is not good for you to eat, it will not be good for our troops either. We are NOT accepting any books right now. Please consider sending underwear or DVDs instead.

Keep reading....lots more info.....

Shipping deadlines for the holidays.

Monday, October 26 2009 @ 06:51 PM MST

Contributed by: Keystone

All items for the Stockings for Soldiers drive must arrive in our office no later than Dec 1st in order to make it to their destination by Christmas. Our current care package list on the front page of our website has the list of most needed items, including the stockings. We have already started packing the stockings and have run out of a few items. We are out of Slim Jims, cookies, nuts & sunflower seeds and travel sizes deodorants.

Donations for shipping are our biggest concern during the holiday season. This year has been tough and funds are tight but we want to make sure that every soldier, sailor, marine and airman on our list gets a holiday stocking from home. We need everyone's help to accomplish this. Even $5.00 helps get a stocking to one of the troops serving our country. Please help with whatever you can.

Don't forget...we are still selling the Bon Ton Community Day coupon books! The book costs $5.00 and gives you $10.00 off on any purchase of $10.00 or more on November 14th. How can you possibly beat that deal? Spend 5, get 10 AND support our troops at the same time. We will be at the Bon Ton store in Berkshire Mall, Wyomissing, PA on Wednesday November 11th from 10 AM to 6 PM and Saturday November 14th from 10 AM to 8 PM selling the coupon books or you can call our office if you would like to have them mailed to you. Thank you to everyone who purchased their coupon books last Saturday! We sold over 300 books!! Our volunteer team deserves a huge pat on the back for the terriffic sales job done by each and every one of them.

If you have any questions about holiday shipping or donations please call us or send us an email. We will get back to you as soon as possible. This time of year gets a little hectic so please keep in mind that we are a 100% volunteer organization so it may take a day or two for someone to get back to you.

Thanks to all of those who support our troops and their families!
~Lordzmom

Mail Must be Addressed to Specific Servicemembers

Monday, March 23 2009 @ 11:50 AM MST

Contributed by: Keystone

****Keystone Note: This is why we are here and this is what we do every day. Please consider making a donation for postage and let us get the most needed and requested items to the troops they will help the most! Thanks! ~Lordzmom****

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2009 - A recent increase in mail addressed to "Any Servicemember" has prompted the Military Postal Service Agency to remind the general public not to send mail or care packages addressed in such a manner.

"Mail to 'Any Servicemember/Any Wounded-Recovering Warrior,' deposited into a collection box and erroneously accepted at a United States Postal Service post office will not be delivered," MPSA officials said in a news release. "This restriction applies to all classes and types of mail."

The Defense Department suspended the "Any Servicemember" and "Operation Dear Abby" programs in 2001 following the terrorist attacks. The policy was adopted as a way to bolster force protection.

"Even though these programs may provide an excellent means of support to deployed personnel and wounded-recovering warriors, they also provide an avenue to introduce hate mail and hazardous substances or materials into the mail system," MPSA officials said in the release.

The Dear Abby program, founded by the newspaper advice columnist, delivered mail to U.S. servicemembers overseas during the holiday season for 25 years. "Any Servicemember" mail grew out of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Since shortly after the start of recent operations in the Middle East, many grassroots organizations have made sure servicemembers know they're remembered. Those interested in writing to servicemembers can visit the Defense Department's Community Relations Web site and click the "Citizen Support" link on the right side of the page to find groups that support troops with letters.

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