Donate Flags

How to Donate Flags

Since this project began, we have received over 29,000 usable flags. It takes over 300 cantons/flags a month just to fill orders.
We appreciate only receiving American Made 3’x5′ USA flags with embroidered Stars. We believe faded flags with imperfections look and mean just as much as a flag in perfect condition. We love to think what stories the Stars that are not perfect could share. The flags must be labeled as Made in the USA or be made by a flag company that is a member of NIFDA or FMAA.

Embroidered Stars MAY NOT be bigger than 2 inches to fit into our pouches, use a standard business card to measure from point to point of the Star, if it’s larger than the card the Star cannot be used.

We prefer that you mail the canton/field of Stars, but do not cut the blue material. The hem between the canton and stripes is an easy way to remove the canton. Cut into the stripes material only near the hem. Include the white header of the flag which usually shows who created the flag.

The beautful flags that covered the casket of a veteran or were properly folded to honor a hero are beautiful flags, but we cannot use them. We recommend donating to a local funeral home to have an extra for their hearse. These flags can also be donated to cemeteries and schools.

We are all volunteers and it takes a lot of time to sort through donated flags.

All unusable flags are then taken to a facility to be properly retired. If the flags don’t meet the above guidelines, please reach out to a local facility to have your flag properly retired.

Please ONLY send flags that fit the above requirements. All other flags can be donated to your local scout troop, Rotary, Elks Lodge, or other veteran organization to be given a proper retirement.

Flags or Cantons with embroidered stars can be mailed to:

Susan Wells
Stars For Our Troops Inc.
#2 116th St.
Box #301
Troy, NY 12182

The Department of Defense article about Flag Retirements
https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/article/2206946/how-to-properly-dispose-of-worn-out-us-flags/

Is cutting the Star from a retired flag desecration of the Flag?
“Desecration of the American flag, according to 18 U.S. Code § 700, includes publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, or trampling upon it. This also applies to any part of the flag, regardless of size or material. While flag burning is a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment, there are still restrictions on how the flag can be handled publicly.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Publicly: The action must be done in public view, not in private.
Mutilating, defacing, defiling: This includes actions that damage the flag, alter its appearance, or make it unclean.
Burning: While flag burning is constitutionally protected as a form of expression, it is still considered desecration under the law.
Trampling: This refers to stepping on the flag.
Maintained on the floor or ground: The flag cannot be placed on the floor or ground in a way that suggests disrespect.”
It’s important to note that “The action must be done in public view, not in private.”

Flag Material
The flags that we use are sewn with embroidered Stars. The flags that are printed we cannot use. It is not the flag material but how it is presented.

“The issue of flags becoming toxic to burn when made from synthetic materials is a relatively recent concern. While the U.S. Flag Code, enacted in 1942, and practices like flag retirement ceremonies dating back to 1937, emphasized burning as a way to dispose of worn flags, the nature of flag burning changed when materials like nylon and polyester became more common.

Historically, flags were primarily made from natural fibers like cotton and wool, which burn relatively cleanly. However, with the advent of synthetic materials, burning them can release harmful gases and create a more hazardous situation.
While the Federal Flag Code didn’t specifically address synthetic flags, the change in materials and the potential for environmental and health hazards led to a growing awareness of the problem. The U.S. Department of Defense, for instance, acknowledges that some newer flags, if burned, release toxic gases, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

In summary, the issue of flags becoming toxic to burn is a consequence of the shift to synthetic flag materials, particularly nylon and polyester, which began in the mid-20th century and continues today. “