From Our Hearts

What Do We Do???

Why the question? From Our Hearts was faced with this very issue just 2 weeks ago when we realized that we had only 2 boxes of Easter cards and the shipment date was rapidly approaching.

So what did we do?  The board members and local volunteers GOT BUSY!!!  Using donated designer paper, card stock, ribbon, brads, ink and stamp sets, 1685 cards were made!  We gathered every day for 2 solid weeks and designed cards, cut paper, and many of our local stampers took the time to assemble them (we did many, too!)

We want each and every one of you to know that your contributions to us, not only cards, but the supplies used to make cards, goes to good use.  Imagine how many lives your contributions to us have been impacted!

Thank You!! From Our Hearts...

From Our Hearts thanks each and every contributor to our effort - and our contributor base has increased (thank you to each and every one of you) - and because of all of you, we were able to ship 36 boxes of 281 valentine/love you and other cards - we know that December is a busy month for all of you, as it is for all of us at the home office.  We wish to say "thank you" to every one who has helped us this year.

As our contributions increase, we have had a difficult time keeping up with the blog posts for each and every contribution.  And, as we have now passed Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will focus on Valentines - and please remember that we accept cards all year round for every holiday...we have 1 full box of Christmas cards for next year!  So, if you have some paper or cards started and not finished for any holiday, please send them to us - regardless of the time of year.  We are also in desperate need of miss you, love you (we sent all we had with the Valentines), anniversary and wedding cards - and of course, Valentines, Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day cards.  We need adhesive, too -tombow snail, dimensionals and glue dots, too - we have been busy at the home office making Easter and Mother's Day cards with all the designer paper and card stock that has been donated!  And, we'll be updating the "need to have the cards by this date" on the blog very soon so keep an eye out on the right side bar - figure that we "like" to have them 6 weeks prior to the holiday - this gives our volunteers time to get them boxed up and shipped out in time.

We'll be posting some of the Valentines that we received and that are already on their way - we shipped them out on Dec 28 - but, if you have some that you need to get to us, we will be shipping out a box or two in the next week or so - so send them on.

We wish to thank each and every one of our contributors.  The following list are those who sent us boxes in Dec and to date - thank you!!

• Mary M - Peru, IN
• Fran K - Piedmont, AL
• Regina A - Topeka, KS
• Denise C - Westphalia, MO
• Kathy S - Independence, MO
• Paula M - Elkins, AR
• Brie L - Jefferson City, MO
• Chiaki H - Santa Ana, CA
• Peggy B - Pahrump, NV
• Anne H - Jefferson City, MO
• Lea's Prayers and Postage - Masaryktown, FL
• Karla R - Benson, NC
• Capitol City Radio Group - Springfield, IL
• Martha G - Elkins, AR
• Jacqueline M - Beacon, NY
• Sandra G (Messiah Lutheran Church) - Prosser, WA
• Diane B - Jackson, MI
• Mainely Caring Cardmakers - Woolwich, ME
• Anne W - Moulton, AL
• Anne W - Moulton, AL (another contribution)
• Joann W - Madison, AL
• Joyce T - Town Creek, AL
• Sandy H - CA
• Jayne S - Hazelwood, MO
• Cynthia K - Norco, CA
• Brenda R - Texas City, TX
• Roxie A - Duarte, CA
• Lori E - Austin, TX
• April S - Chino Hills, CA
• M A Elliott - Santa Fe, TX
• Jean Z - Dane, WI
• Fran K - Piedmont, AL (second contribution)
• Stittville VFW Ladies Auxiliary - Stittville, NY
• Paper Dolls - Jefferson City, MO
• Kelly M - Daleville, IN
• Katie M - Wauwatosa, WI
• Lois B - Columbia, PA
• Pamela M - Westchester, IL
• Stittville VFW Ladies Auxiliary (they sent many boxes!)
• Jean G - Rochester, MN
• Mainely Caring Cardmakers - Woolwich, ME (another box!)
• Bev W - Sacramento, CA
• Doris F (Doris Ann Designs) - Fond Du Lac, WI
• Margaret L and Vivian T - Cibolo, TX

We thank each and every one of you!

Request For "Miss You", "Love You", Cards For Kids and More

From Our Hearts has had requests for cards in the past (mostly kids cards), and here is another that has been received from one of our contacts in Afghanistan - Miss You, Love You and cards for kids are in demand and in short supply - can we send more?  We are running low on these types of cards and can use help -

At the present time, we are also running low and can use the following:

Anniversary

Sympathy

Wedding

Thinking of You

Thank You

And of course, VALENTINES!  We have been busy at the home office designing cards and kits - as we have only 4 boxes of Valentines on the shelves - and we need many, many more - our thanks to Anne H and Susan T for taking the time to design cards and cut the paper and ribbon!!! Our thanks, too, to all our contributors who have sent us the supplies we use to make the cards - we could not do it without YOUR help.  And one more thank you - to Angie J who takes the card kits home to assemble them --- OH, we almost forgot to thank Tom, Martie's husband, for taking such good care of us while we work!!

Thank You, Thank You! 10 More Boxes To Ship

Our thanks to all who continue to mail holiday cards - we received over 800 this past week!

We appreciate the contributions received from:

Ruth C - Norman, OK

Jacqueline M - Beacon, NY

Brenda R and MA - Texas City, TX

Rosemary C - Maquon, IL

Roxie A - Duarte, CA

Karen K - Artist & Display - Milwaukee, WI

and

Karen W - Crest Hill, IL

We estimate another 10 boxes will be created; we will know more on Monday when we box them up.  Again, our thanks to all and keep the cards coming!!

Keep Those Holiday Cards Coming In!!

Saturday was a BIG card receiving day for From Our Hearts and we are thrilled!  Over 1,200 holiday cards arrived - and that means 4 additional boxes can be mailed over.  We are holding them until the end of the week as we know there are more boxes in transit - and we thank everyone for their support!

We acknowledge the following contributors who sent us boxes these past 2 weeks - 44 boxes have been mailed thanks to their help:

• Patsy C - Columbus, MS
• Ann W - Moulton, AL
• Joyce T - Town Creek, AL
• Sam S - San Diego, CA
• Grace Bible Chapel Ladies (Rosemary M) - Elkton, MD
• Laurie Z - Norwood, MN
• Bernadette C - Escondido, CA
• Barnabas Ministry (Dacia S) - Winston-Salem, NC
• Mary M - Peru, IN
• Classy Red Hatters - Corona, CA
• Regina A - Topeka, KS
• Vivian T and Margaret - Cibolo, TX
• Georgia R - Madison, WI
• Martha G - Elkins, AR
• Jeanne G - Rochester, MN
• Beverly W and Susan M - Sacramento, CA
• Bev P - Shiloh, IL
• Peggy B - Pahrump, NV
• Christine R - Elkridge, MD
• Pamela M - Westchester, IL
• Becky B - Rockwall, TX
• Cynthia K - Norco, CA
• April S - Chino Hills, CA
• Ruth C - Norman, OK
• Lina W - El Paso, TX
• Cindy B - NJ
• Susan R - Grove City, OH
• Friday Cards (Wanda K) - The Woodlands, TX
• Marcie I, Nyako I, Sandie A, Liz G, Wen Wen H, and Nancy B -  La Verne, CA
• Jackie W - Ocklawaha, FL
• Stittville VFW (Cincy C) - Stittville, NY
• Susan J - Chicago, IL
• Lesley T - Kirkwood, MO
• Ann S - Killen, AL
• Amy M - Pahrump, NV
• Phillis M - Woolwich, ME
• Janice S - Newark, CA
• Nancy L - Abingdon, IL

 We are grateful for all the cards that have arrived over the past 12 months - we fell a bit short of our goal of 2 boxes per location, and know that requests for more boxes will be coming in as some of our locations have hundreds of individuals who access our boxes of cards.  With that said, please continue to make and mail cards to us - any that we don't think will make it over in time will be given to the USO at Lambert airport in St. Louis.  This is a place where our service men and women stop on their way to/arrival from Afghanistan and we keep them supplied with cards.

Valentines will be mailed over the beginning of January.  We typically shoot for mailing them out on Jan 2 and at the present time, we have 2 full boxes and one that is almost full - not nearly enough!!!  We thank you in advance for helping us to ship at least 1 box to each location - and our list of contacts stands at 42 right now - that is a lot of cards at 280-300 per box.

Our thanks to all our board members who have been very busy "stuffing" cards that arrive without envelopes, clear envelopes and/or slips - many hours have been devoted by all to ensure all the holiday and Valentine cards that have arrived are ready to mail!

Christmas/Holiday Card Donations

A quick update: From Our Hearts has 44 boxes of Christmas and holiday cards, waiting to be packed up and shipped over!  Our heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has sent us cards.  We are still accepting them - our projected box-up date is on Halloween, but we will be shipping more boxes over as the cards come in. 

We have 42 contacts that are on our list, waiting for these cards - and with what is on hand right now, every contact will receive one box - and we need MORE!!!  Your cards, even 10 or 20, will help us to reach our goal of sending 2 boxes to each contact.

Thank you, thank you, from our hearts!

(from the board members and local volunteers of From Our Hearts)

One Day's Pickup From the Post Office

A quick look at what From Our Hearts picked up from the post office on Tuesday - and we thank our contributors!!!

Card Front Conversions From Topeka Volunteers

From time to time, we like to post some of the beautiful card fronts that are converted into cards by our volunteers.  These recently arrived from our volunteers in Topeka.  We received a box of 500 converted cards - and we think they turned out pretty darned nice!

Regina A, who heads up the effort, also contributed a couple of stamp sets for our use - thanks Regina!!!

Our thanks to Regina and her group of volunteers who work so diligently at converting our donated card fronts into cards.

Please consider sending us those "no longer needed" card fronts - we can use them!  Contact us for an address - we gladly will free up that space in your craft room and will make may service men, women and their family and friends happy!

 

Lea's Prayers and Postage Continues to Provide Financial Support

We appreciate the financial support we receive every month from Lea's Prayers and Postage.  In May, From Our Hearts received reimbursement for the shipping of 17 boxes - and without Lea's Prayers and Postage's financial support, it would not be possible for us to continue to ship over the number of boxes that we do.

Our financial donations have been down this year - and our requests for cards has remained steady.  Please consider donating to our cause by using the paypal link provided on the right sidebar or by mailing a check to us at:

From Our Hearts, PO Box 105243, Jefferson City, MO  65110

Each contribution is tax deductible and a letter for tax purposes will be sent upon request.  We thank you, From Our Hearts, for your help!

Supporting Our Efforts, One Box At a Time

We have a couple of "faithful" contributors - those who help From Our Hearts every month -

Lea's Prayers and Postage - reimburses From Our Hearts for the postage of 10 packages

the residents of Heisinger Bluffs - reimburses From Our Hearts for the postage of 1 package

This is 11 packages we are fortunate enough to have support, every single month... and we are appreciative of their efforts -

We would like to thank those card contributors who also include a cash or check donation in with their boxes - there are several who send in funds with every box - if it weren't for these contributions, we would not be able to ship over the boxes and we wish to take this time to say a special "thank you" to each and every one of you.