With the holidays fast approaching, the Bantam “A” West Hill Golden Hawks are taking time to thank the Canadian Armed Forces for their service. With over 2,100 Canadian Armed Forces members currently stationed overseas, a Canadian Armed Forces Twitter account challenged Canadians to write letters to troops who won’t be home for the holidays.

“It’s just nice when people are thinking about you … for a lot of these people it’s their first tours away,” Sgt. Michael Hemmingsen told Global News. “It’s so easy to just call someone, text or Facetime — it’s the press of a button. To take a card, there’s a little leg work. It means more, in my opinion.”

All players on the Golden Hawks will be submitting a letter and are challenging other teams to do the same. Hemmingsen emphasized that letters from children are particularly meaningful and appreciated.

Canadian Armed Forces guidelines state that cards must be sent with a stamp if it’s going to “any Canadian Armed Forces member.” The must only contain correspondence.

In order to be received in time for the holidays, letters must be in Trenton by December 9. Letters can be mailed to the address below.

Any Canadian Armed Forces Member
P.O. Box 5004 Stn Forces
Belleville, Ont.
K8N 5W6