Hero Helpers Collect Over 100,000 Cards for American Soliders

Photos: Hero Helpers of America founder Lauren Eliopoulos shows off the cards on her kitchen table and under her Christmas tree.

It’s beginning to look a like lot Christmas inside the Mansfield home of Hero Helpers of America founder and Foxborough High School graduate Lauren Eliopoulos, except instead of gifts from Santa Claus under the tree there are cards and tokens of appreciation for American servicemen and women to be mailed out.

As part of their ongoing mission to support those who are currently and have served in the armed forces, Mansfield-based Hero Helpers, along with partners the Heartillery Group and Operation Christmas Scarfs had what they believed to be was an ambitious goal of sending 50,000 cards to American troops serving overseas for the holidays, a large increase over the 12,000 sent last year.

Over 100,000 cards later, perhaps the initial goal was a bit modest.

According to Eliopoulos, the 50,000 card mark was surpassed on Dec. 6 with the 100,000 barrier smashed this previous weekend.

“I thought we would meet the 50,000, I just didn’t expect we would go this far over,” board member Ingrid Williams said.

Eliopoulos said she credits the growth of Hero Helpers over the past year and the two partners for the drastic increase in cards along with a recommendation from Operation Christmas, a group that has been directing people to Hero Helpers while they a take a sabbatical from delivering holiday cards to members of the military.

The cards have taken over the home of Eliopoulos and Williams with a third home storing cards. At the Mansfield Post Office, cages have been set aside specifically for the cards, which are now coming in by the thousands every day.

If anything, the initiative has become a global effort. The cards are as local as the ones delivered by students at the Mansfield and Foxborough schools and have come as far as Ireland and Italy. Packages with over 1,000 cards have been delivered from Ohio, Hawaii, and even Alaska.

For Eliopoulos, the effort is one inspired by her own family. Her brother George, who serves with the US Marines, recently returned from a 7-month tour of duty in Afghanistan and is currently stationed in North Carolina. In addition, Williams’ son, also a marine is scheduled to be deployed overseas in the near future.

“It’s probably one of the most humbling things to see all these people supporting our troops especially with my brother just coming back from Afghanistan and Ingrid’s son is about to go overseas, it’s nice to know how many people care,” Eliopoulos said.

Sometimes there is more than a card in the package. Eliopoulos says she has received donations to cover the shipping costs, scarves, drawing from children made from fingerpaints, and a box of jump ropes made by children from Ohio.

As for the reaction from the marine of the family? Shock according to Eliopoulos.

“My brother said when he had a bad day in Afghanistan, he would read these to feel better. We did not have communication for last month and a half of his tour so for him he knows what it means to get these cards,” Eliopoulos said.

While the cards are expected to be mailed out on Dec. 15, the group is not does with their holidays activities. Hero Helpers will hold their annual Cupcake for Heroes event at Splitsville Luxury Lanes at Patriot Place on Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Those interested in delivering a card though Hero Helpers can drop one off at any Sharon Credit Union branch or mail it to P.O. Box 0352 Mansfield, MA 02048. Hero Helpers requests that any card in an envelope be delivered unsealed as every package and card has to be checked for content.