TASK FORCE DVD RECEIVES OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2009—This holiday season, AMVETS launched a call-to-action, asking for DVD donations to troops serving overseas through the AMVETS Task Force DVD program. After a variety of media outlets promoted the drive, donations started to pour in to AMVETS Task Force DVD, headquartered at the AMVETS Department of Ohio.

“We’re still receiving lots of movies,” said AMVETS Department of Ohio Executive Director George Ondick, who overseas the program. “In the past, it was one or two packages of DVDs each week, but in the month of December, we were taking in three or four each day.”

AMVETS was able to send thousands of DVDs overseas in time for Christmas. However, Ondick stressed that the program runs year-round and that AMVETS continues to look for additional movie donations, destination addresses and cash contributions to pay for shipping.

“As long as we have soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines stationed overseas, we’ll keep going,” he said.

To receive AMVETS Task Force DVD donations down range free of charge, deployed service members and families can submit military mailing addresses (AFOs and APOs) to AMVETS Task Force DVD. AMVETS also asks for a valid email address to contact the service member in advance to verify the correct mailing address, as assignments may periodically change.

AMVETS Task Force DVD accepts most kinds of DVDs, including children’s movies, which are sent to family support centers around the country for families of deployed service members through AMVETS’ partnerships with the National Guard and reserves. AMVETS also encourages cash donations to help with shipping costs. A five-dollar donation can ship one box of 35 DVDs overseas.

All DVD donations should be sent via U.S. Postal Service “Media Mail” to AMVETS Task Force DVD Distribution Center, 1395 E. Dublin Granville Road No. 222, Columbus, Ohio 43229.

All cash donations should be sent to AMVETS Task Force DVD, 4647 Forbes Blvd., Lanham, Md. 20706.

AMVETS commissioned Task Force DVD in 2006 as a way to offer safe entertainment options for troops stationed in hostile environments. Since its inception, AMVETS Task Force DVD has sent more than 2 million DVDs to deployed service members around the world. To date, AMVETS has received hundreds of thank-you notes from grateful troops who have received DVDs. To learn more about AMVETS Task Force DVD or to become involved, visit www.amvets.org/taskforcedvd.