Gift project among several that use old greeting cards

Question: Did you find out about anyone who is recycling old Christmas cards? I am holding onto the ones I received this holiday season in hopes of donating them.

Answer: Yes, several readers responded to the Dec. 10 Kokua Line column (808ne.ws/1Z3VGeM), and we’ll start with one who welcomes all types of greeting cards year-round. Marilyn Gilbert of Kailua volunteers with a church group that puts together shoeboxes full of gifts and basic necessities for needy children around the world. The volunteers recycle Christmas cards to decorate the boxes, and cut out images from any type of donated greeting card to make Popsicle-stick puzzles, which are tucked inside as small gifts, Gilbert said.

Kokua Line readers can mail cards to Gilbert at 247 Akiohala St., Kailua, HI 96734. To save on mailing costs, she’s happy to receive only the card fronts. She’s also willing to pick up donations in Kailua; simply drop her a line with the location, date and time of the pickup. Be sure to include your name and phone number, in case she has any questions.

The project for which Gilbert volunteers is called Operation Christmas Child, which is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian relief organization led by Franklin Graham, a son of evangelist Billy Graham. You can learn more at samaritanspurse.org. Once on the main page, click on “What We Do,” then click on “Operation Christmas Child” in the pull-down menu.

Gilbert said she and other volunteers work on the boxes year-round, so the cards need not arrive during a set time period. As is the case with donations to any charitable effort, the cards or card fronts should be in good condition.

Kokua Line also heard from an artisan who makes jewelry to sell at craft fairs; she uses greeting cards to fashion custom boxes for her wares. Another craftswoman recycles assorted cards into notepads that she donates to individuals and organizations. Neither wanted their contact information published because they do not need very large quantities of cards. Instead, they asked that their contact information be forwarded to the readers who initially inquired on the topic last month; Kokua Line did so.

We also heard from readers who did not want cards themselves, but advised how others might use them. One reader’s poignant story particularly resonated, and offers a suggestion for anyone caring for a parent, spouse, or anyone else suffering from dementia, memory loss or other cognitive difficulties:

“When we were closing down my mom’s house to sell I found tons of cards she had received throughout the years. She came to live with me. She has dementia. I decided to keep all the cards minus the envelopes and placed them in a basket. She enjoyed looking at them because they were ‘pretty’ (one of her favorite words) and easy for her to handle. Magazines or books did not sustain her attention but the cards did. I even put the cards in a smaller basket and hung it on the safety rails of her bed — again easier to hold than a magazine.”

An adult day-care center, nursing home or other memory-care facility might be able to use just the card fronts in a similar fashion, stripped of any personal or private information. However, be sure to check directly with the facility you have in mind before dropping off any cards; they might not want them, regardless of past practice.

This leads us to our last bit of advice on the topic of used greeting cards: Don’t mail them to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Memphis institution explains at 808ne.ws/1JWnHhz that it doesn’t recycle greeting cards. We highlight this fact because two callers left voice mails on the Kokua Line saying they send old cards to the hospital and encourage their friends to do so as well. This outdated suggestion burdens the hospital with unwanted mail.

Finally, we’ll reiterate that this column relates to greeting cards that have been written in, ones a person has received and doesn’t want to simply throw away. New, unused greeting cards are a different subject — such leftovers are easy to find a home for, including at charitable thrift shops that rely on donations and are happy to sell unblemished stationery.

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.