Blue Ridge Cable is in its 14th year of participating in the Keystone Military Families Stockings For Soldiers.

KMF annually ships between 8,000 and 10,000 holiday stockings filled with donations of food, hygiene products and other items to our military personnel unable to return home for the holiday. It’s a simple gesture, but it helps boost their spirits, demonstrates our caring support and shows how much we appreciate them and the service they provide.

Packages go to all branches of the military and to locations in Kuwait, Korea, Japan, Europe, ships at sea and any other troops who request support from home. All items are sorted and packed according to the requests we get directly from the troops or their families.

There are several ways to contribute:

Visit brctv.com/stockingsforsoldiers, select a monetary amount to donate and choose the payment option of either PayPal or debit/credit card.

Items requested include: Christmas stockings – 18-24 inches in size, handmade or purchased; Christmas hats – Santa, reindeer or elf type; paper or plastic Christmas decorations – no glass ornaments; ground or instant coffee, Kcups and hot tea; coffee creamer and sugar packets; hot chocolate or hot cider; power bars, cereal bars, trail mix, granola bars and healthy snacks; Slim Jims, beef or turkey jerky; sunflower seeds and nuts in small packages; individual snacks like crackers, cookies, cheese/cracker kits; peanut butter and jelly - individual size; candy canes; small sewing kits and manicure kits; sunscreen and ChapStick with sunscreen, Blistex; aspirin, Tylenol and cold meds in small packages; vitamins, supplements and protein powder; 5-Hour Energy and similar products; men’s and ladies’ calf high socks or boot socks in black or white; hand and foot warmers and thermal gloves or glove liners.

U.S. Postal Service regulations do not allow anything in aerosol cans to be shipped. Also please keep expiration dates in mind when donating; shipping takes about 14-21 days to the combat zones after donations are sorted, packed and shipped.

KMF has set up an Amazon KMF Wish List to allow you to purchase items to ship directly to their facility. Visit the Blue Ridge blog at brctv.com/blog/community and look for “Boosting spirits through Stockings For Soldiers.” They are accepting online donations through Nov. 30.