Supporting our veterans with Stamps for the Wounded

For many years, the Sarah Riggs Humphreys-Mary Silliman Chapter has collected and donated stamps, to Stamps for the Wounded (SFTW), a service organization dedicated to
bringing comfort and stimulating activity to U.S. veterans through stamp collecting. This has become a wonderful annual project that allows our chapter members to do something special for our veterans.

Founded in 1942, Stamps for the Wounded is based in Vienna, Virginia. They provide veterans with stamps, covers, albums, catalogs, and other supplies and literature needed to begin or continue a stamp collection.

This year, thanks to the efforts of chapter registrar Vivian Lea Solek, we collected 12,300 stamps, along with albums and other collecting materials. Because the donation was too large and heavy to mail, Honorary Chapter Regent Jeaneen Buchanan and her HODAR, Joe Hoefflinger, personally delivered the collection to Stamps for the Wounded in May.

They had an opportunity to meet Rob Jenson, President of Stamps for the Wounded, and get a behind-the-scenes look at their work. Because SFTW is a run by volunteers, it doesn't maintain a regularly staffed office. Instead, its volunteers operate from five storage lockers.

There is no telephone or email service available from the lockers, and access is secured through entry codes. Volunteers work from the storage lockers, unpacking donations, sorting the stamps, organizing collecting materials, and preparing
packages for shipment. It was amazing to see how much work goes into preparing and transporting stamps to veterans. Veterans can request the kinds of stamps they enjoy and how often they would like to receive them.

New collectors can also be matched with experienced collectors who can help them get started. Along with
stamps, veterans can receive albums, catalogs, tongs, and other philatelic supplies so that they have everything they need to enjoy and develop their collections. SFTW also accepts monetary donations to help with operating expenses and to purchase the supplies veterans need. Occasionally, donated stamps are sold or auctioned, with the proceeds given to the program.

This donation is a wonderful example of how a seemingly simple item can have a much greater purpose. We think of stamps as small pieces of paper; yet to a veteran it's much more. Stamp collecting provides a new hobby, a connection with another collector, and something enjoyable to anticipate.

The Sarah Riggs Humphreys-Mary Silliman Chapter is proud to support Stamps for the Wounded and grateful for the opportunity to honor our nation's veterans. Collecting, sharing, and preserving these little pieces of history is a special way to bring friendship and joy to our veterans.

The historic Sarah Riggs Humphreys-Mary Silliman chapter, Inc was founded in 1893. The DAR is a non-profit lineage society; any woman who is lineally descended from an ancestor who aided the patriot cause during the American Revolution may be eligible to join.

For more information, visit us on facebook (Sarah Riggs Humphreys Mary Silliman chapter) or email srhmsregistrar@gmail.com.