Veterans Day is right around the corner, and our military deserves all the praise and recognition for serving our country.
Regardless of the circumstances, COVID-19 has brought upon us, on November 11th, join us in honoring their service in creative, safe, and socially distanced ways.
From Your Home
There are plenty of ways to get creative and show your thanks to our veterans from the comfort of your home.
- Create a short video saying a special thanks.
Let the military personnel in your life hear how much you value them. Whip out your phone and create a quick video expressing your gratitude and appreciation. Sending this to them will undoubtedly put a smile on their face.
- Create care packages for the soldiers overseas.
Care packages are a great way to celebrate and honor our military overseas. Grabbing some supplies from the store and shipping boxes of special items to Support Our Troops would be much appreciated by those currently deployed. Some things to include are:
- Reading material
- Baby wipes
- Sunscreen
- Non-aerosol deodorant
- Lipbalm
- Non-perishable food (beef jerky, protein bars, etc.)
- Handwritten notes
Donating to organizations that specialize in sending care packages is another excellent option.
For Your Coworkers
While many companies are working remotely, you can still say thank you to your coworkers who have served our country.
- Send out a special newsletter to your office highlighting those who’ve served.
This is an easy but thoughtful way to honor your coworkers and let them know they’re appreciated. Create a list of names and collect photos from when they were serving our country.
Send out the email first thing in the morning to make the whole day special for them, even if they’re working from home.
- Incorporate red poppies.
The American Legion Auxiliary typically distributes red crepe paper poppies on Veterans Day nationwide. However, with limitations due to COVID-19, this may not be possible. Baking remembrance poppy cookies is a thoughtful and delicious option to say thank you to your coworkers.
Not much of a chef? Contact your local florist to see if they have any red poppies they could deliver to your coworkers’ house.
- Prepare a special delivery of handwritten notes.
This might take some preparation, but collecting handwritten notes from coworkers and having them delivered to the veterans’ homes is sure to make their day.
In Your Community
Don’t know anyone personally in the military? That doesn’t mean you can’t still get involved in the celebrations.
- Support veteran-owned businesses.
One of the easiest ways to honor a service member is to support their business. You can order from veteran-owned restaurants, share veteran-owned businesses on social media, shop in their store, and more. Can’t think of any businesses off the top of your head? Check out this directory of veteran-owned businesses.
- Encourage others in your community to write thank you letters to those overseas.
A friendly note can go a long way. Spreading the word about programs like Operation Gratitude is a simple but impactful way to let our military know that we appreciate them, especially during a pandemic.
This would be a great thing to share on social media to get the word out about this program and encourage others to participate in Veterans Day celebrations.
- Organize a drop off of supplies and thank you notes for those in veteran hospitals.
COVID-19 is undoubtedly a lonely time for everyone, especially those in care facilities and hospitals. Teaming up with friends and family, writing thank you notes, and putting together mini care packages for veterans needing extra care will let them know that their service is much appreciated no matter the circumstances.
COVID-19 has changed many things in all of our lives, but there’s one thing for certain that we shouldn’t have to change: our love and respect for our veterans.
Content proudly provided in partnership with Veterans United Home Loans. NMLS 1907
Source: century21.com