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Welcome to KeystoneSoldiers.com
Thursday, September 02 2010 @ 03:03 PM MST

Welcome

  ***** We will be OPEN on WED 9/1 & SAT 9/4 from 10 AM til Noon. Please note: We will be closed on SAT September 11th in honor of those who lost their lives 9/11/2001. *****

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 for our U.S. troops 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 or their families 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 area we have troops serving our country. 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 & SAT 10 AM to NOON. 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. We do have a donation drop off container in front of our office door if you need to drop small amounts of items when we are not in the office. Please do NOT leave money, DVDs or CDs in this container. 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 on Route 61 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


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Current Care Package List

Penpals & Package News

Current Wish List for Care Packages:


At the present time what we truly need is monetary donations for postage. If you have not already scheduled a donation collection with us please consider holding a fundraiser instead!

This list is current and was updated on Aug 12, 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 home page. Please use the street address ONLY for shipping boxes! Please use the Fleetwood post office box for letters, cards and donation checks.                       

  • *Cold drink mixes – Gatorade, Crystal Lite, Kool Aid or the individual flavor tubes you add to bottled water
  • Ground Coffee (not instant). Coffee creamer and sugar packets too!
  • *Power Bars, cereal bars, trail mix, granola bars and healthy snacks 
  • *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 
  • *Microwave foods like beef stew, easy mac, chili, chunky soup, noodle bowls...etc
  • Small plastic bowls, cups and tableware
  • 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)     
  • 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 - the nights are getting cold in Afghanistan!
  • New or used game systems like PS3, Wii, or Xbox 360
  • Video games and controllers for PS3, Wii and Xbox 360
  • Small hand-held video games like poker, solitaire, slingo, etc
  • *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.

  We are NOT accepting any books right now. Please consider sending underwear or DVD movies instead. NO cassette tapes or VHS tapes are being accepted.

**Please note: 1) The U.S. Postal Service regulations do not allow anything in aerosol cans to be shipped. 2) We do not need any chocolate candy until late September. 3) 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 will not ship expired food items!

 If you have questions please call us or send us an email! We appreciate your support for our troops and for Keystone Soldiers!

 

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Mail Must be Addressed to Specific Servicemembers

Penpals & Package News

****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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Care Package Donations

You may make a donation for Care Packages or Postage via Paypal. Our donation account is keystone @ keystonesoldiers. com. Remember to remove the spaces in the account name.

-- OR --
Download and mail our donation form with your check or money order.

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