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USPS PUTTING SAD LETTERS TO SANTA ONLINE, AVAILABLE NATIONALLY
From:
Be An Elf -- Letters to Santa Be An Elf -- Letters to Santa
For Immediate Release:
Dateline: Los Angeles, CA
Sunday, November 17, 2019

 

November 17, 2019 – Los Angeles and nationally – Tomorrow the USPS will launch USPSoperationsanta.com ®, a new website making needy kids’ sad letters to Santa available for adoption by the public. Many of their letters ask only for “a warm coat”, “new shoes,” and a favorite toy. In recent years the program has been available in less than two dozen cities, but this year, the letters may be adopted online from anywhere. The new USPS website is USPSoperationsanta.com and launches November 18.

Christmas volunteers may adopt a letter from the website and mail their gifts directly to the child or family who needs a brighter Christmas. Volunteers must add postage and mail their gifts by December 20, from 19,000 postal branches nationwide that offer “label scanning” as a service.

At the end of news coverage of the USPS program, please mention BeAnElf.org as an excellent online guide to volunteering. It’s a resource for anyone wishing to learn how the new program works; it offers tips both for volunteers and for those writing letters, too. There’s also a plan for companies to organize their employees to volunteer.

The US Postal Service ® has made the children’s letters available every December since 1912. Be An Elf is a tax-exempt charity founded by volunteer Patrick Reynolds, and supports Operation Santa ® by creating public awareness of the program, recruiting hundreds of new volunteers, and helping those seeking assistance write their letters to Santa. In short, the site is an excellent guide both to volunteering for the program, and to those seeking assistance.

Patrick Reynolds received the Lifetime Achievement award in 2015 from President Obama for his work against Big Tobacco. He is a grandson of tobacco company founder RJ Reynolds, makers of Camel, and became a smoke-free advocate after his father, RJ Reynolds, Jr., died from smoking.

“Some Operation Santa volunteers feel alone and sad over the holidays, and find comfort and inspiration volunteering for this program. People catch the true spirit of the holidays, and put smiles on the faces of needy kids on Christmas morning. It’s micro-philanthropy, direct from a volunteer to a child,” says Mr. Reynolds.

One tip Be An Elf offers is to give a holiday party at which friends and neighbors are invited to bring gifts for kids, and share the gift wrapping, the cost and the fun. Another tip suggests volunteers can adopt multiple letters by mailing gift cards from Target or Costco, and letting the kids’ Moms do the shopping for their families. Companies may typically adopt up to 100 letters to Santa, and distribute them to committees of interested employees.

Mr. Reynolds’ bio is at Anti-smoking.org/bio/ Links to two cable network news interviews about Be An Elf from 2011 are below.

Please tag your story about the USPS program with a brief mention of BeAnElf.org, as a good guide to volunteering for the program.

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Name: Patrick Reynolds
Group: Be An Elf ... Letters to Santa
Dateline: Playa del Rey, CA United States
Direct Phone: 310-577-9828
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