SoldierSanta is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

non-profit organization that supports United States soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan by shipping holiday gifts during the

Christmas and holiday season The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...

History

In 2009, Financial Services Executive Chris Meek formed the non-profit organization Soldiersocks in response to a July 2009 letter from Sergeant Major Like Converse who requested help in obtaining socks and baby wipes for his Marines serving in Afghanistan. Upon receipt of this letter, Chris soon formed a 501(c)(3) to help raise funds and gather basic supplies for the troops. As SoldierSocks grew, it expanded its reach in the fall of 2010 to include a new initiative with a similar objective. The group created SoldierSanta in an effort to send gifts to the troops for them to open during the holiday season. Corporate sponsors such as

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

Magazine,

Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation was an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It was the fifth-largest cable provider and ninth-largest television provider in the United States. Throughout its ex ...

Conair Corporation Conair Corporation is an American company based in Stamford, Connecticut which sells small appliances, personal care products, and health and beauty products for both professionals and consumers. It is majority-owned by private equity firm Am ...

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, and Connecticut-based

Newman’s Own Newman's Own is an American food company headquartered in Westport, Connecticut. Founded in 1982 by actor Paul Newman and author A. E. Hotchner, the company donates all of its after-tax profits to charity through Newman's Own Foundation, a priv ...

all joined to lend a hand in this new program. The number of corporate and business sponsors continues to grow and so too does the organizations reach. Relying on contributions and gift donations, SoldierSanta sends gifts such as an

iPod The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

to American troops in an effort to make the holiday season special.

References

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External links

Soldier Santa

Soldier Socks
2009 establishments in Connecticut Charities based in Connecticut Organizations based in Stamford, Connecticut Organizations established in 2009 United States military support organizations