Caring Hearts Card Drive 2016

Hello. We are back for the 7th year for our annual Caring Hearts Card Drive!!! I can’t believe it… and we have YOU all to thank.

The purpose of our card drive is to collect holiday cards for the elderly that live in nursing homes. Vera Yates started this card drive 7 years ago, in honor of her mom’s request. That first year, we collected 750 cards. And each year it continue to grow bigger. Last year we received over 22,000 cards and distribute the cards to over 100 nursing homes throughout the US, Canada and Australia. Thank YOU!

Vera and I are excited to continue bringing holiday cheers to many nursing homes. This year, we’re branching out to the United Kingdom and this will allow us to start distributing in Europe.

The holidays are about family, kindness, and joy. During this time, many of the elderly who live in nursing homes feel lonely. Wouldn’t it be great if we brought a smile to their face & brightened their holiday season simply by sharing our love of card making? A simple gesture to let them know that they are not forgotten – that someone still thinking of them.

All you do is make cards. As many as you want and/or have time for. Anything helps! You mail them to us and we mail them out to volunteers who distribute them to nursing homes around the world.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

  • This card drive end 11/25/16. We need to receive your card by 11/25/16.
  • Please make the cards for any holiday theme. Anyone can make or send a card – you, your children, church group, scout troops, etc.
  • All cards need to have a message inside (it can be stamped or hand written). Just saying something like, “Hope you have a wonderful holiday! Love, Jennifer in Ohio.”
  • Please sign your name and where you are from inside the card.
  • Please include an envelope for each card and please don’t seal the envelope.
  • Please stick to just cards (standard size A2 or 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″) as this will help us in packing more efficiently
  • Please don’t use any pins, etc (safety reason).
  • In each package, PLEASE include THIS SUBMISSION FORM. (More on that below.)
  • This is totally optional — if you’d like to include $1 or $2 to help with shipping, it’ll be much appreciated. We cover the shipping cost ourselves – with no sponsor – so any donation toward shipping would help tremendously.

For US, you can mail the cards to:

  • Vera Yates, 1314 Roy St., Houston, TX 77007
  • Tina Schrof, 185 W. Pugh Drive, Springboro, OH 45066
  • Lynn Reloza, 3353 Cimmarron Road, Cameron Park, CA 95682

For Australia:

  • Linda Langes, c/o Gilston State School, 588 Worongary Road, GILSTON QLD 4211, Australia
  • Deb McCleary, PO Box 213, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia

For Canada:

  • Caroline Bredeson, 7 Brown Street, Ottawa, ON K1S 1L9, Canada
  • Rita Andrews, 28 West Gissing Rd, Cochrane, Alberta T4C 1L6, Canada
For UK/Europe:
  • Taheerah Atchia, 36 Pinewood Crescent,Orrell, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 8NF, United Kingdom

In each package, PLEASE include THIS SUBMISSION FORM. This helps us in keeping track for prizes! For each card you send, you will get a chance to win a prize. So the more cards you send, the better your chances.

Also, if you ‘d like to help us promote the card drive, whenever you’re sharing your projects for Caring Hearts on social media, please use the hashtag #caringheartscarddrive.

The nursing homes that we support are based on what people suggested to us. If you want your local nursing homes to receive cards from the card drive, please email me or Jennifer the name of the nursing homes and the number of residents, so we can make sure that we send enough cards. Each year, we never know how many nursing homes we can support as the number are totally based on how many cards we received. To keep things organized, we assigned the 7 collecting addresses above. This way we can keep track of the amount of cards as well as for prize purpose.

We’ll update the prize list as more prizes coming in. And huge thank you to all the fabulous, generous companies who support this card drive by donating awesome prizes.

PLATINUM PRIZES (everyone sending 100+ cards will be entered for this prize)

GOLD PRIZES

We will update the prize list as we get more. Check Vera’s blog often for updates.

We really appreciate your support & generosity! Now let’s get cardmaking!


Leave a Comment

87 thoughts on “Caring Hearts Card Drive 2016”

  1. Could someone please answer this question? Do you place the cards in the envelopes before sending or just send the envelopes along with the cards? We are getting ready to send our cards out and wanted to make sure we are packing them properly. Thank you, Susan

  2. What a pity I’ve only just heard of this today – 8th November!!! (via GinaK on Facebook) – doesn’t give me very long at all to start producing. My M-I-L has recently moved into a care home and I therefore appreciate more how much this will mean to the residents. Is there any sort of link you can give me to the UK lady, Taheerah Atchia, please? An email address/blog……? I’d love to contact her to see how it’s going and if there’s still time for me to participate – or maybe be aware of it (and spread the idea) for next year, thanks.

  3. I’m sending my cards tomorrow! First year I’ve participated and I was able to make 108 cards. I’ll be sending to Tina as I’m in the upper midwest. Love this idea as I know my Aunts love to receive my handmade cards and now several others of their age group can also. Thank you for doing this

  4. I see that you don’t want the envelopes sealed, and I understand that, but do you want the cards put in their envelope ?? Or just put under ‘with’ an envelope?

  5. I learnt about this a bit late, too, and have not finished my own cards yet, and I am going away for the next 10 days… BUT, I have faith that there will be another drive next year and I will make cards throughout the year, ready to be distributed in Australia for Christmas 2017… Great idea!

  6. This is a great thing to do seeing some people don’t have love ones/family. I will be mailing my cards to the OHIO address. I’m a new crafter so I will make as many as I can for this great drive. Thanks Jennifer for all your videos.

  7. This is my first year participating but I am excited about spreading cheer to the elderly all around the world. What a wonderful cause and thank you for hosting such a wonderful Drive. I will be an annual participant for sure!

  8. What a great drive! Thank you all for your efforts involved and I’ll be chipping in with my cards soon. So inspirational, makes this time of the year so very special for all. Happy Holidays and may all be bright for all of us.

  9. Love the idea of the Caring Hearts Card Drive, hoping to be able to initiate something along the same lines in my country too. Am a little late in seeing this but hoping i can contribute none the less. Thank you for being an inspiration <3

  10. I’m so sorry that I just heard about this… we are on the road to our winter home and won’t get there in time to contribute this year. I will look for the drive next year. When do you start this? I can start making cards now to send for next year.

    May the Lord bless you all for your kindness.

  11. I regret seeing this so close to the deadline. Regretfully I cannot get any cards out to your super awesome contribution. I would like to donate some money to aid with the postage this year. Please tag me to where I can send the money. I have marked my calendar for next years card drive, I’m looking forward to being a part of this project. I will most certainly share this information with everyone i know who makes cards.

  12. Hallelujah – my cards are in the mail, all 136 of them. I have so enjoyed this challenge. It has taken my mind off my very sick cat, who has now sadly died, and has given me a sense of purpose. This is such a worthy cause, with its beneficiaries often forgotten. Good luck, and I hope you overtake last year’s total. Cheri

  13. I sent my cards off today and was told they should reach Lynn by Tuesday of next week. Thank you for letting us being apart of this. Last year I gave cards to my local nursing home and plan on doing that as well!

  14. Hi Jennifer,

    I was wondering if there are any other card drives like this one that I can help with. I sent in some cards yesterday, and would love to send some more. Do you happen to know about any other similar card drives?

    -Sphoorti

  15. I love the idea of this card drive. I just found out about it in early November, so I didn’t get as many cards made as I would have liked. I mailed off 60 holiday greeting cards to Lynn, so hopefully she will get them before the deadline. Thanks to all of the generous sponsors for making it so fun too!

  16. I just got mine sent to you today 11/25, but the post office assured me you will have them Monday. I sent them to Vera in Houston. I’m so sorry it wasn’t sooner but hope you will still accept them. I sent 140 cards and envelopes. Hope this helps. Cheryl in Missouri.

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