SALISBURY — Rowan Public Library’s annual “Cards for a Cause” campaign is returning for its ninth holiday season. The campaign will run until Dec. 16 and collects holiday cards that will be sent to active service members and veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

All four RPL branches, RPL Headquarters in Salisbury, RPL East in Rockwell, RPL South in China Grove and RPL West in Cleveland, will offer stations featuring blank greeting cards and other card-decorating supplies so customers can create cards to send.

Once customers have finished creating and decorating their cards, the completed cards can be submitted or returned to any RPL branch service desk or via curbside drop-off. They may also be returned via the branches’ outdoor book drop receptacles; it’s encouraged that the envelopes of cards submitted via book drop be secured to help avoid damage from other items.

There are different submission deadlines during the campaign to accommodate international and stateside deliveries. Nov. 15 is the deadline for submitted cards to be delivered to active service members abroad and Dec. 5 for delivery to active service members stateside. All cards submitted after Dec. 5 will be delivered to the W.G. (Bill) Hefner Salisbury Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

In the past, individuals, families, businesses, and organizations have participated.

“Community organizations and schools have even created their own original cards to contribute. Participation is a fun, easy way to give back during the holidays,” said “Cards for a Cause” coordinator Kim Dinkins.

Anyone with questions about how to participate can contact Dinkins at Kim.Dinkins@rowancountync.gov or 704-216-7842.

“We’ve been told by the service members who deliver the cards that, especially for those away from home during the holidays, they really make a positive impact,” said Dinkins.

The cards submitted make an impact in the lives of active and veteran service members, and past cards have been delivered as far away as Afghanistan.

All types of cards are welcome: store bought, handmade or hand drawn, self-printed and all those in-between. The library’s in-house “Cards for a Cause” stations will feature a variety of cards, stickers, markers and more for customers to use.

“It’s such a good feeling seeing people create a card with the intention of brightening someone else’s day. Sometimes, cards are submitted without envelopes, and I have witnessed some of the cutest, heartfelt messages included by all ages,” said Dinkins.

While participants are encouraged to write brief notes of appreciation or greeting and to sign their cards, they are asked to not give full names or addresses.

In 2022, “Cards for a Cause” collected and distributed over 5,200 cards to active service members and veterans. The program began in 2015, collecting approximately 230 cards that first year. This year, Dinkins and RPL staff are hoping to collect at least 5,500 cards to send out in the holiday mail.

For more information about “Cards for a Cause” and other RPL programs and services, go to www.rowanpubliclibrary.org.