Mother's Day: Make a Wish Mom!
We want to make mom’s wish come true this Mother’s Day so we’ve teamed up with First Northern Credit Union to help make it happen with $500 in VISA gift cards!
We’ll also hook mom up with some much deserved prizes like:
A $200 gift certificate from Meraki Salon + Studio in Roscoe
A 10 inch Bundt Cake plus Bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes in Rockford
Beautiful jewelry from Busch Jewelers
And a $150 gift certificate from Garrett’s Restaurant & Bar!
Sign up to win for yourself or a mom you know below…
Shoebox Stop: Top Dog Pizza and Pub
The first of many Shoebox Stops is this Tuesday at Top Dog Pizza and Pub (8638 N 2nd St, Machesney Park, IL 61115)!
Join Steve Summers and Ryan Sartori from 5-7pm on April 8th as they guest bartend to raise money for Shoeboxes for Soldiers!
Will it be the best service you've had? No. But your tips will benefit our troops!
For more details on Shoeboxes for Soldiers click here
Shoeboxes for Soldiers
Shoeboxes for Soldiers 2025
95.3 The Bull is proud to be, once again, packing Shoeboxes for Soldiers with help from Eldridge Roofing and Green State Credit Union in Rockford and Freeport! Our collection efforts started in 2019, gathering in demand supplies for our troops. Since then, we've sent over 2,300 boxes overseas. We are now going into our 7th year, and with your help, this can be the biggest year yet.
How you can help...
What our troops need...
The goal is to provide our troops with some of the comforts of home they are giving up while serving our country. Here are some of the ideas for items you can grab for our troops...
- Socks
- Soap
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrushes
- Deodorant
- Sunblock
- Lip balm
- Foot powder
- Baby wipes
- Feminine care products
- Sanitize
- Lens wipes
- Hot sauce
- Beef jerky
- Electrolyte add-ins for water
Pro Tip: Place anything that could spill, leak or destroy the box during shipment in a plastic sandwich bag.
Things to avoid donating...
- Perishable/damageable food items (chips, cookies, etc.).
- Aerosols.
- Homemade items.
- Large/oversized items (must fit in a 12in x 12in container with other items).
- Any items that could potentially be destroyed and or destroy the entire box while in transit.
- No fireworks.
- No weapons.
Pro Tip: When choosing what to add to your shoebox, keep in mind that these boxes will be traveling long distances and be subject to hot and cold temperatures as well as elevation changes. Please no glass items that can break or items that could leak or cause a mess.
Official Shoeboxes for Soldiers Dropoff Locations...
- Green State Credit Union - Rockford (3963 N Perryville Rd, Rockford, IL 61114)
- Green State Credit Union - Freeport (510 Park Crest Dr, Freeport, IL 61032)
More to come!
Shoebox Stops...
Throughout the course of Shoeboxes for soldiers, 95.3 The Bull will be make plenty of Shoebox Stops which will serve as a fun way to hang out with us and support the troops and well as drop off donation items. Here's where you can find us this year!
- Dine-In Night - Portillo's on E. State (6090 E State St, Rockford, IL 61108) | Wednesday, April 23rd | 5-8p (Get all the info here)
- Guest Bartending with The Morning Stampede - Salamone's Cherry Valley (103 S Cherry St, Cherry Valley, IL 61016) | Tuesday, April 29th | 5-7p
- Guest Bartending with The Morning Stampede - Salamone's North (2583 N Mulford Rd, Rockford, IL 61114) | Wednesday, May 7th | 5-7pm (Get more info here)
- Karaoke Night & Guest Bartending with The Morning Stampede - Victory Pickleball (7003 N Alpine Rd, Loves Park, IL 61111) | Friday, May 16th | 6-8pm
- Guest Bartending with The Morning Stampede - Stumpy's Pub (5801 Columbia Pkwy, Rockford, IL 61108) | Wednesday, May 21st | 5-7pm
We'll be adding more stops as we go! Make sure you check back in here.
Make a Monetary Donation...
Can't make it out to drop items off? No worries! A monetary donation of any amount helps send Shoeboxes to our soldiers, too!
- $10 will help us fill a care package with good stuff for our troops.
- $20 will cover shipping for a care package to make it top our soldiers.
- $50 will sponsor a care package fully, filling it and shipping it overseas.
- But any amount helps!
Click HERE to make your safe and secure online donation!
For updates along the way, check out our social media!
95.3 The Bull Facebook | 95.3 The Bull Instagram
