November Monthly Newsletter

Operation Mail Call Wraps Up a Success



Thanks to all who helped make operation Mail Call a Success!  From our volunteers to our great sponsors your efforts go a long way toward making MAF successful in our mission to support our troops!

MAF Joins Halloween Candy Buyback Program
to send Care Packages to Deployed Troops



Move America Forward is partnering with a national effort, the Halloween Candy Buyback Program, which brings together Dentists, Orthodontists, and other Oral healthcare professionals from around the country with the goal of getting candy to our troops.

“Move America Forward is a welcome addition to the Halloween Candy Buyback. Having a second candy distribution partner will allow more health organizations in the West coast participate in this great event.” said Dr. Chris Kammer, D.D.S, who is Founder of the official Halloween Candy Buyback. “At a time when childhood obesity is not improving in our country, programs like the Halloween Candy Buyback are needed more than ever.”


Halloween is a holiday known for overconsumption of sweet treats which can cause damage to braces and result in tooth decay. The Halloween Candy Buyback encourages families to turn in their excess candy to a local participating school or oral health professional’s office. Some offices will make cash donations to local schools for the candy which will be used in Move America Forward care packages to the troops.

Thousands of brave soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen will benefit from receiving a care package from home with a little Halloween spirit inside. Move America Forward sends thousands of care packages a year to troops in war zones and wherever our troops are in need. The Halloween candy from participants of the Halloween Candy Buyback Program will increase the number of packages Move America Forward is able to ship this year.

Guideposts offer Inspiration for our Troops




Guideposts, a long-time sponsor provides MAF with Booklets such as Financial Readiness, Mission Ready, Strength for Relationships, as well as thank you and Christmas greeting cards offering support and encouragement to our troops throughout their long and often lonely deployments far from home.  

MAF was a natural fit for Guideposts as they have supported our troops and veterans for over 64 years.  Guideposts representative Caroline Harris said “Annually we distribute over 1 Million pieces of literature to our troops and veterans.  We distribute them directly through chaplaincy and through amazing support organizations such as MAF.  We could not have the impact that we do without the amazing work that you do.  If we can encourage and uplift even a single soldier or veteran than all of our efforts are worth it.”

MAF has made it our mission to support our troops and Guideposts has become an important part of that mission.

Partnering with MAF gave Guideposts a chance to put materials directly into the hands of eager troops. “It’s great to know that our material is getting into the hands of the men and women who are defending our country so bravely.  Our material is not only targeted to the issues facing our military today, but much of the material is actually written by military chaplains.  It is good to know that our booklets are being delivered directly into the hands of our soldiers.  

Harris went on to add “Working with MAF has been an absolute pleasure.  The message of how important it is to raise the spirits of our troops is clear.”  

MAF Kicks in Support for Operation Little Bug




When Linsey and Donovan Souza reached out to us on behalf of Operation Little Bug seeking our help in supporting military families undergoing treatment for their children with special medical needs how could we turn them down? Often these families spend days at facilities lie Shriners, Ronald McDonald House and Sutter Medical Center in our own Sacramento.  Sometimes a cup of high quality hot coffee can help alleviate just a little stress from long days and little sleep with lots of hope and worries.

With that in mind MAF donated an entire pallet of coffee to Operation Little Bug. Lindsey and Donovan reached out to say “I just wanted to thank you again for your generous donation of coffee to Operation Little Bug.  On behalf of the military families and Northern California families with children receiving medical treatment in local area facilities, thank you so much!”

They sent us a few photos we wanted to share with you!  



Linsey went on to say “In one weekend we donated coffee to the Ronald McDonald House, Shriners Hospital, and Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento.  We are trying to reach more area hospitals that our military families frequent so that we can help as many families as possible.  We appreciate everything you have done for us.”


AMAZON SMILES Makes Support a Breeze

Make your money work twice as hard by supporting the troops at no extra cost to you while doing your holiday shopping with Amazon Smiles!

Move America Forward is now partnering with Amazon.com and participating in their Amazon Smile Non-Profit Program, where Amazon donates a portion of whatever you order to MAF so we can send even more support packages to our troops!

How does Amazon Smile Work?

It\’s simple: All you have to do is use the link below to select Move America Forward as the charity you would like to support and a small portion of what you buy on Amazon.com is donated. No extra cost to you, just extra support for our brave defenders for buying the things you normally would. It\’s a WIN-WIN!

CLICK HERE TO SET UP AMAZON SMILE

Millions of Americans already use Amazon to purchase clothes, books and movies to tech gadgets, or almost anything you can think of. Chances are, if you\’ve ever bought anything on-line, you have probably used Amazon.com at least once or twice.

Now with Amazon Smile, you can support Move America Forward at no cost to you, by doing all your holiday shopping with Amazon Smiles. Your gifts will cost nothing extra, but a portion of the sales will be donated by AMAZON to the troops via MAF!

Prices are the same, shipping is the same, and nothing changes except Amazon donates .05% of your purchase TO THE TROOPS on your behalf!

Click HERE to shop for great Gifts and be sure to set MAF as your Amazon Smiles Charity!

Thank YOU for YOUR Service!
November 11, 2017 — Veterans Day



November 11, is Veterans Day.  Use this opportunity to thank all of those who have served the greatest nation on earth. To all of our Veterans, we at Move America Forward say “Thank You!” Your sacrifice and service has kept us safe at home.  Please take the time to thank your friends, co-workers or loved ones this year who have served our country.  In honor of America’s brave veterans, please take the time to fly your flag with PRIDE.  

If you are a veteran, check out some of these discounts available to Veterans.

http://www.military.com/veterans-day/veterans-day-military-discounts.html

We often Hear the Question “How does Veterans Day Differ from Memorial Day?”

Veterans Day is sometimes confused with Memorial Day, however, Veterans Day honors the service of all U.S. military veterans, whereas Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for the the men and women who gave their lives in service.

We’d like to offer you the opportunity to send out a special troop support package in honor of your loved one who has served.    Simply enter your order and in the message area please enter your message to our troops and let them know in whose honor you are sending your package.

Happy 242 Years of Faithful Service USMC



November 10, 2017 marks the 242nd Birthday of our great United States Marines. The USMC has been part of every war the United States has been involved with since their founding in 1775. Today there are more than 200,000 active duty and reserve troops serving both state-side and abroad. Always ready, willing and able to defend and protect our shores.


Thanks Weber – Grill On!!

For several years now we have been able to count on Weber Grill to donate a high quality Sprit E-310 grill for our Troopathon. We have been lucky enough to have the winners donate the grill back so we could provide it to a waiting troop. This year we coordinated with the Family Readiness Group at Beale AFB in California, take a look at their creative approach to the Weber Grill Give-Away!




With Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday steeped in the tradition of coming togther with loved-ones to share a meal and offer Thanksgiving for the bounty of blessings in our lives and the prosperity we share. Take time to count your blessings, and remember family and friends who can\’t be with us on this day.



At Move America Forward we\’re thankful to each and every one of you who send packages and messages of support to our deployed to let them know they\’re not forgotten.

To ensure our deployed troops receive a taste of the holidays, so we\’ve put together some special Thanksgiving treats in our packages that range from special holiday coffee, to festive candy that\’s sure to bring a real taste of home.  Of course our packages are packed with plenty of our regular treats like beef jerky, nutritious trail mix, candies, cookies, field wipes and lots more.  And ever Thanksgiving   package includes a special personalized message of support to our troops from the sponsor at no additional cost.

Back by Popular Demand: HOLIDAY DUO

Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner!  With such a busy and fun-filled time for many Americans here at home, it\’s important that we don’t overlook  our troops serving in harm\’s way who won\’t have a chance to celebrate these special days with their friends and loved ones. As part of your Holiday Traditions why not include remembering our service members with a special package from home.

Move America Forward is happy to offer a special Holiday Duo promotion that will automatically send a package from you next month in  December along with your special note of thanks to celebrate these special holidays.

Our Thanksgiving packages will be packed with our regular treats but will also include special holiday treats like candy corn, special holiday edition coffee and hot cider.  To add a touch from home and our Christmas package will have extra treats like soft peppermints, a fleecy red and white Christmas stocking and hot chocolate as well.



Or just contact Lisa Baron at [email protected]  and let her know you are interested in the Holiday Duo and she will get all the info from you she needs to make this happen

Signing Up a soldier for a Support Package is Easy

If you have the address of someone deployed on active military duty to sign them up to receive a package.
http://www.moveamericaforward.org/care-packages/request-a-care-package/
or e-mail it to them so they can register themselves.

Check Us Out on Social Media!
TROOP TWEETS @ m_a_f

Check us out on Facebook!


Monthly Smiles Club Needs You!

Monthly Smiles is easy to set up and there is no obligation or contract, so if circumstance change, you can stop any time. I am hopeful you will join us in supporting our troops through our Monthly Smiles program with support starting as low as $24.99 per month.  

With the bump in care package requests we have been receiving lately, ongoing support such as yours is vital in helping Move America Forward reach as many troops as possible.

Joining is easy, simply follow this link to our website, http://carepackages.moveamericaforward.org/

•  Select the package you would like to send

•  Directly below where you enter your personal message to the troops you will see a line that says, “Would you like to join Monthly Smiles”

•  Select the box that says “Yes, I would like to make a recurring gift.”

•  Next select your frequency, for example 1 package every month, continue to pay and you will be all set.

That\’s all there is to it. Then you\’ll know each month you\’ve put a smile on a soldier\’s face. Our Director of Troop Support, Lisa Baron personally oversees our Monthly Smiles program and she will make sure that your monthly package contains a personal message from you to the troops with every package we ship out on your behalf.

We can also set up programs that send packages out for all the different holidays through the year. We have members who send out packages for Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and others who send out packages every other month or even quarterly. We\’re here to help with whatever you or your company, group or organization wants to do to support the troops. There\’s no obligation, and you can stop sending packages at any time. Plus Monthly Smiles donations are always 100% tax deductible!

If you have a question or would like additional information, contact Lisa Baron, our Monthly Smiles Director at [email protected].

What They are Saying on Great Non-Profits
Check out one of our latest reviews!
http://greatnonprofits.org/org/move-america-forward



If you love our work then tell the world at Great Nonprofits! You have an opportunity to help us make even more of a difference in our community.

Great Nonprofits is a review site like Yelp or TripAdvisor. They honor the most highly-reviewed nonprofits with their 2017 Top-Rated Award.

Won\’t you help us raise visibility for our work by posting a review of your experience with us? All reviews will be visible to potential donors and volunteers. It\’s easy and only takes 3 minutes!

Click Here, HELP US WITH YOUR REVIEW TODAY and say why you support our TROOPS!

AGAIN, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING TROOPATHON 10 A SUCCESS!!!

Special Thanks go out to Troopathon Event Sponsors: