|
For Immediate Release
SAN DIEGO (January 28, 2002) - Mail Boxes Etc. locations across the
country are teaming up to launch Operation: S.W.A.K. (Sealed With A Kiss). From January
28 through February 14, participating MBE locations will provide free first-class postage
for one-ounce (34-cent) Valentine cards and letters to U.S. military service personnel
stationed overseas or to veterans in VA hospitals.
"Having served two tours in Vietnam, I know first-hand the positive impact on a
soldier's morale that comes from receiving a card or letter from home," said Jim Amos,
MBE's president
and CEO. "This is one way that the MBE family can show our appreciation for our country's
troops, veterans, and their loved ones."
Eligible mail must be addressed to a specific U.S. serviceman or woman at an assigned
APO/FPO address or a specific veteran residing in a VA hospital, and must bear a valid
return address.
"We originally created this program in 1991 during the Gulf War," said Amos. "The
public response was overwhelming. With more than 3,500 U.S. locations, we are anticipating another
successful program."
For those individuals who do not know a specific U.S. service member, the Department of
Defense suggests that Americans show their support and honor military personnel by
supporting the communities in which they live. Visiting a VA hospital or nursing home,
or volunteering in the local community, can help make up for service members who normally
would volunteer but are now deployed or otherwise too busy with their duties.
Established in 1980, Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE), a UPS company, is the world's largest
franchisor of retail postal and business services. There are more than 4,500 MBE locations
worldwide, with master license agreements covering more than 75 countries. Entrepreneur
magazine's annual "Franchise 500" has rated MBE #1 in the postal and business
services category for 12 consecutive years. In the United States, MBE locations are owned and
operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. Outside the United States,
MBE locations are owned and operated by MBE master licensees or their franchisees. MBE
maintains a Web site at www.mbe.com. |
