A question from my friend Bonnie inspired me to go looking for ways to help wounded service members. I talked to several military spouses and found quite a few avenues for those who want to reach out and help.

Read about some opportunities in this week's Spouse Calls, and find more right here:

     • Operation Angel is an outreach by a military spouse, Tawny Campbell, and her family. The Campbells regularly provide "Angel Baggies" to patients at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. See their Web site, which describes Operation Angel and Tawny's other charitable activities, at http://operationangel.homestead.com/ E-mail Tawny at taznjo@hotmail.com to find out how you can help.

     • The Wounded Warrior Ministry Center serves the wounded at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
     The center, originally called “Chaplain’s Closet” was initiated when chaplains and other caregivers at LRMC realized that incoming patients often arrived with only the hospital gowns they were wearing.
     “We would love to receive get well or thank you cards for the wounded warriors,” said Laura Smith, a military spouse and volunteer coordinator for the WWMC. “General cards are the best, not holiday specific.”
     Now the WWMC provides new clothing, coats, shoes, toiletries and other items, like phone cards and blankets for wounded service members, said Laura.

     She said the center also provides a duffle bag for the patients to carry their new possessions.
     “We place three or four cards per duffle bag for each service member that comes through our door.” Laura said. The center accepts cards throughout the year.
     “Due to the generous spirit during the Christmas holidays, we are not accepting donations (of other items) at the moment.” Laura said more donations are usually needed in the spring or summer.
     For more information, contact Laura at herkyp@yahoo.com. She can tell you where to drop off cards, or you can mail them to:
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
ATTN: MCEUL-CH/Chaplains Office
CMR 402
APO AE 09180

• Sending cards is encouraged, but dropping by to see patients is not. Visitation of LRMC patients is limited to friends, family and individuals approved by the hospital command, said Ch. Erik Harp, a staff chaplain at the hospital. Any exceptions require permission from individual patients and are kept to a minimum, according to hospital policy.

Links to more ways to help:
• Find volunteer opportunities at VA facilities: http://www1.va.gov/volunteer/.  Click on “Find a Facility” to search for volunteer opportunities anywhere.
• The USO home page has a locator to find the USO in any location. See http://www.uso.org/whoweare/findyourlocaluso/
• Get more information about LRMC’s medical transient detachment from volunteer coordinator Barbara Pepple: barbara.pepple@us.army.mil
• For Mission Just Us, contact LaKeesha Holmes at missionjustus@ramstein.af.mil.
• To help the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility, contact Amanda Malloy at USO Kaiserslautern: malloya.uso@tks-net.com.
• Read about Operation Cup of Love on the Spouse Calls blog