Congressman Jerry McNerney recently announced the beginning of the fifth annual Holiday Cards for Our Troops program. Last year, McNerney’s office collected more than 7,000 cards from the community inscribed with personal messages of gratitude to our men and women in uniform at home and overseas.

“I’ve heard how much it means to our troops when they receive notes and cards from home,” wrote McNerney in a press release. “Let’s take this time of year to make a difference for the men and women who fight so bravely to protect us and our country.”

The cards are organized into packages for shipment overseas by East Bay Blue Star Moms, Pleasanton Military Families, Packed with Pride, and Summerset Veterans Club. Cards will also be sent to veterans at Bay Area VA hospitals, Camp Parks, Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

To participate in the program, make or purchase a holiday card and write a message of thanks inside to a service member and deliver the card to McNerney’s office in Stockton or Pleasanton by Thursday, Dec. 15. Cards should remain unaddressed and envelopes unsealed.

Card guidelines:

• Make sure to sign your card.

• Use salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals cannot be delivered through this program.

• Do not include inserts such as photographs.

Mail your cards to either of McNerney’s offices:

• 2222 Grand Canal Blvd., Suite 7, Stockton, CA 95207

• 5776 Stoneridge Mall Road, Suite 175, Pleasanton, CA 94588.

For more information, visit www.mcnerney.house.gov.