Throughout the month of July, national nonprofit Wreaths Across America is featuring its annual Giving in July campaign — a month dedicated to the groups and individuals giving back in their communities while helping share the mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.

Socks for Heroes MS is just one of the hundreds of sponsorship groups raising funds through the sale of wreath sponsorships. Nationally, Socks for Heroes has shipped more than 800,000 pairs of socks to active military since May 2011.

Since it was founded in 2007, WAA has partnered with hundreds of like-minded charities, community programs and civic groups across the nation to remember and honor veterans and active duty military personnel. Giving in July celebrates these groups and highlights the opportunity to “Do good twice,” through the sponsorship of veterans’ wreaths. Through the Group Sponsorship Program, donations received actually “Do good twice” because WAA gives $5 of each $15 wreath sponsorship to the local group’s mission, which include programs helping veterans, military families, youth and others locally.

WAA has given back nearly $15 million in local contributions across the past 13 years.

“I have long said it would be disingenuous for us as an organization — whose mission is to ‘Remember the fallen, honor those that serve and their families, and teach the next generation the value of freedom’ — if we do not support other like-minded programs doing just that in their communities,” said WAA Executive Director Karen Worcester. “Our Group Sponsorship Program is a year-round effort, but through Giving in July we hope to remind people that veterans and our current military serve and protect us 365 days a year and it is never too early to make a difference in your own community.”

This year, more than 2,500 cemeteries will participate in National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 18 — including Riverwood Memorial Park, Rose Hill Cemetery, Wesson Cemetery and Hazlehurst Cemetery — and thousands of local sponsorship groups are working already to raise funds and awareness to honor local service members with the placement of veterans’ wreaths.

For more information, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org, the Socks for Heroes MS Facebook page or http://socks4heroes.com.