care package

With y'all's help we are able to send our very first care package to our Adopted Soldier! Here is a little glimpse of what's inside.

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-Hygiene Products: Qtips, Baby Wipes, Wet Ones, Gold Bond

- Snacks: Emergen-C, Nutella, Beef Jerky, Gum, Reese's 

Above all things, our Soldier tells us Reese's are his absolute favorite. It was extremely difficult not to open these for myself after buying ;) 

Other: Playing Cards, Helmet Light, 100 MPH Duct Tape

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If you are interested in being apart of our next care package there are many ways to help!

1. Buy some Little Pieces of Hope jewelry! 15% of proceeds benefit our Adopt A US Soldier care package

2. If jewelry isn't your thing, but you would like to make a donation, check out our Etsy listing here for our AAUSS Donations. 100% of these proceeds will go to the care package

3. Write a letter. It's said that letters are the best part of a care package. Soldiers like to hear what's happening back in the States. They believe these letters are little "hugs from home". If you are interested in writing a letter, feel free to email me! 

4. Or if you live in Austin, and are interested in buying a few items for our Soldier, again feel free to email me, and we can coordinate what items are needed and a drop off date

write our Adopted Soldier

       Picture from Adopt a US Soldier Facebook Page

As you know, Little Pieces of Hope is fundraising for Adopt A US Soldier these next few months, and we are about to send our FIRST care package over to our adopted soldier. Above all things, AAUSS recommends sending letters to our soldiers. They believe letters help keep the soldiers spirits high, and gives them a little "hug from home".

I have had the privilege to write our soldier for a little over a month now, but I wanted to give YOU an opportunity to write him yourself. If you are interested in sending a "hug from home" please email me (or message me on FB) for more details. Thank you so much, and I hope to hear back from a few of you!

Adopt a U.S. Soldier

Photo Source

One of the greatest rewards with Little Pieces of Hope is finding new non-profits to team up with. Sometimes finding a new charity can be difficult, while other times customers help me out by giving me a suggestion on where to start my research. This time around, I felt as if the Universe was nudging me to go in a different direction.

Towards the end of last year I saw the movie Unbroken. I was so captivated by the story of Louis Zamperini that I wanted to learn more. I know most people read the book, and then go see the movie, however I did things in reverse order. And let me tell you, if you haven't read this book you absolutely need to. After reading this story, I had a whole new perspective, and understanding of what the military and military families go through. That's when I realized I wanted to try and help. 

After endless nights of research I am excited to introduce our new Charity of the month, Adopt a US Soldier. AAUSS started when a Mother's son was deployed to Iraq. He was a medic, and saw a lot of awful things there. Each week, the mom sent him care packages for him and his unit that would weigh close to 60-70 pounds. After a few weeks the Mother got her friends to join in on sending care packages to the son for him to share with his platoon. By Christmas, they were successfully helping 175 soldiers and were well on their way to helping more.

courtesy of the AAUSS Facebook Page

Adopt a US Soldier is a way to connect civilians with deployed troops overseas. Staffed fully by volunteers, AAUSS has helped thousands of soldiers find friendship, support, and a much loved and needed touch of home. 

For the next few weeks, our jewelry proceeds will go to our very own "adopted soldier". We will be able to write him letters, and send him care packages to let him know he is not alone, and how thankful we are for his service.