Ways to give back to the military during the holidays

Because many service members and military families don’t have the opportunity to be with their loved ones in person, the holiday season can be especially difficult time of year.

If you’re wondering how you can help bring a little piece of home to service members stationed around the world, check out these easy ideas from the USO.

• Give back: Use the USO Wishbook, an alternative giving catalog that offers military supporters a way to send a heartfelt symbolic gift to a loved one while directly benefitting troops and their families. Visit usowishbook.uso.org to learn how your symbolic gifts can help bring comfort to troops and their families.

• Spread the word: Social media platforms and word-of-mouth are integral to the success of nonprofits, and the USO is no different. Giving them a shoutout, sharing their content or even starting a fundraiser for the USO via Facebook, helps spread the word about the organization’s mission and encourages others to support the cause. Visit uso.org/stories to read more about what the USO is doing to keep troops connected to family, home and country this holiday season. You can also find the USO on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Use the hashtag #USOHolidays when sharing to be featured on their holiday page.

• Play: Are you a gamer? Through streams and other fundraising events, the USO’s Gaming program has helped keep service members connected to family and friends. You can raise money for the USO via the Operation Play it Forward campaign on Tiltify. And join the USO Discord at discord.gg/TheUSO.

• Ride: Whenever you use the ride share app Lyft, you can opt in for their Round Up & Donate program. This setting automatically rounds your payment up to the nearest dollar, and the difference is donated to the nonprofit of your choice. Consider selecting the USO to automatically support the organization as you get around town.

• Connect: Boost the morale of military members and make them smile through Campaign to Connect, which makes it easy to send messages of thanks to service members. Kind words can go a long way.

• Shop: Online shopping this holiday season? You can give back every time you shop on Amazon by shopping via AmazonSmile. Visit smile.amazon.com, login, select the USO as your charity, and 0.5% of your eligible purchases will be donated to the organization.

To learn more about other ways you can help deliver care, comfort and connection to troops this holiday season and beyond, visit uso.org/holidays and uso.org/donate.

As you gather with your own loved ones, consider the many ways you can help make a difference in how military families connect and celebrate this season.