CLEVELAND — Laura Landerman-Garber got the idea to start the Military Holiday Card Challenge in a dentist office.

“I went home and I grabbed some cards and I said, no one is eating Thanksgiving until you sign some cards,” said Landerman-Garber, who lives in New Hampshire.

Seventeen years later, a few cards turned into over 170,000, and a meaningful nonprofit.

The cards are from people all over the United States. Laura does the proofreading and sends boxes of cards to servicemembers in all five branches of the military.

“All I'm asking them to do is reach in their heart and write a message of cheer and write a message about their lives a little bit and send them off to our troops, who are far away from home,” Landerman-Garber said.

People from 48 states have sent cards to Laura, but she said one state stands out.

“It's been a little different with the pandemic because I did not expect people to be able to do this but I underestimated the goodwill of everyone. And we have so many cards from Ohio. I want to tell you ... when those packages come in, I see Ohio, I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So I'm kind of like a neighbor. I feel extra special about that,” Landerman-Garber said.

Landerman-Garber said she has already received over 100,000 cards this year.

She said 2,000 of those were sent to the United States Coast Guard 9th District in Cleveland.neighbor,” Landerman-Garber said.

Servicemembers like Staff Sgt. Jocelyn Johnson of the United States Army Reserve have kept every card sent her way while deployed.

“Even from students that there was a school from Alabama. ‘We miss you.’ And they're kids that I'm never gonna know and their messages and their little beacons of hope that just lit my day up. And it made me feel a little less lonely,” Johnson said.

Student creates military Christmas card.

The cards are a more intimate and meaningful way to tell someone you’re thinking of them.

“While we can't be out in our communities, we can serve our communities and that can be in so many different ways. And this is one way,” Landerman-Garber said.

“Even the toughest of the toughest got a little bit of a spirit and got a little bit lifted from just knowing that there's someone out there, even if they're seven years old, that are appreciating what you're doing,” Johnson said.

Laura said people can send still cards in, but since Christmas is almost here she recommends writing “Happy New Year.”

For more information on how to write a holiday card for the military and where to send it, visit the Military Holiday Card Challenge website.