North Country Sen. Patty Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, is asking the public to join her in spreading holiday cheer to service men and women this Christmas by taking part in the “Christmas Cards for Our Troops” program.

For the eighth straight year, Sen. Ritchie is teaming up with the Albany Veterans Miracle Center and Ogdensburg native and radio personality Melody Burns for the initiative, which collects holiday cards, personally signed by donors, to distribute to members of the military at veterans’ hospitals, Army installations and other locations around the world during the holiday season.

“Our service members make tremendous sacrifices in the name of protecting our freedom—and for many, that means being away from family and friends during the holiday season,” said Senator Ritchie. “I am hoping that once again this year, people from throughout our region will join me in this effort to let the brave men and women of our military know that we appreciate their service not just during the holidays, but every day of the year.”

In 2018, Senator Ritchie collected more than 10,000 cards from local families, businesses community groups and students, which through this program, were delivered to military members and veterans across the globe. Since 2012, with the help of Central and Northern New Yorkers, Senator Ritchie has collected more than 70,000 cards for the program.

Those interested in participating in “Christmas Cards for Our Troops” are asked to follow the guidelines below: Sign each card with your first name, city, state and a personal message if desired; do not include envelopes; include your name/organization’s name and address with each bundle of cards; use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member,” as cards addressed to specific individuals cannot be delivered through this program; and avoid cards with glitter or using loose glitter, as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.

Once signed, cards must be sent to or dropped off at Sen. Ritchie’s offices by Nov. 6 at Ogdensburg: 330 Ford St., Basement, Ogdensburg, NY 13669.

Any cards collected after Nov. 6 will be distributed to military members locally.