What is the Pocket Flag Project?

The Pocket Flag Project was started in 2001 by LuWanda Ford as a way for Cub Scouts to develop patriotism and pride for our country’s flag while supporting our military troops. After folding and packaging 100 flags, the Scouts presented them to Naval Reserve representatives and her 9-year old son told an attending reporter that the flags were going to “all the soldiers in the war”. The Pocket Flag Project has since grown into an international non-profit project with nearly 3 million flags shipped to date.

How does the Pocket Flag Project work?

The Pocket Flag Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit; we have no employees, just volunteers! For $104, we will ship you a set of 300 pre-cut flags. By yourself or with a team, fold and package the flags with the enclosure card and ship them to a deployed military unit. POCKET FLAGS ARE ONLY FOR ACTIVE DUTY DEPLOYED OR DEPLOYING TROOPS. The Pocket Flag Project is great for schools, American Legion and VFW Posts and auxiliaries, scouting groups, church groups and more.

How do I get involved?

There are many ways to support the Pocket Flag Project! Visit the ‘Get Started‘ page to learn how you can get involved in folding flags or visit the ‘Support‘ page to support the Pocket Flag Project through a monetary donation or purchase of a lapel pin. 

How do I order flags?

Orders for flags are no longer handled through the P.O. Box but through this address:

Pocket Flag Project
7470 Newland St
Arvada, CO 80003

It is $104 for every set of 300. Please include your shipping address, e-mail address, contact phone number, payment (check or money order payable to Pocket Flag Project) and the number of flags you want in boxes of 300. Please also include your intent and contact or POC (Point of Contact); this helps us track where flags are going, avoid duplication, and ensure the integrity of the project.

We are not able to accept credit cards and we are not able to split boxes into smaller quantities. If 300 flags is too many for your group to fold, please check with other groups in your area for someone to split the order with you. 

Do I need to use your flags?

Our flags are made in the USA and are a poly-cotton blend that does not fray unless it is handled a lot and refolded several times. There is no sewing or trimming required with the flags we provide. If you do choose to use fabric from another source, we ask that you use flags of a comparable size and quality to those we supply. Please notify us of how many flags you are sending and to whom so we can keep track of the scope of the Project and let you know if that unit has already received flags. 

Who receives the finished flags? Can I give them to veterans, police officers, etc.?

No. While we appreciate the sentiment, the Pocket Flag Project has limited resources and our flags are reserved for active duty deployed or deploying soldiers. Please notify us of your intent and contact for the receiving unit; this helps us track where flags are going, avoid duplication, and ensure the integrity of the project.

I don’t know any soldiers. Can I still fold flags?

Of course! Here are a few ways to find military units:

• • Ask around your community, school, church, neighborhood first to find deployed or deploying troops. There are people from every community (someone’s niece or nephew, son or daughter, father or mother, teacher or coach, etc.) who are in the military and deployed or deploying.

• • Watch the local papers for information about someone from your community who is active duty overseas.

• • Your local recruiting office or military base may be able to provide a POC (Point of Contact) to whom you can send completed flags.

• • Your local VFW or American Legion may have units where they are sending CARE or Comfort Packages.

• You just need a POC to send a batch of flags, not a list of individual names to send single flags.

Please note that folded flags are only for active duty deployed or deploying soldiers. Please notify us of your intent and contact for the receiving unit; this helps us track where flags are going, avoid duplication, and ensure the integrity of the project.

How do you fold the flags?

It’s easier than it looks! Please visit our ‘How to Fold‘ page under the Participate tab for detailed instructions, a printable guide, and a video tutorial.

Where do we get the enclosure cards?

Click here to download the enclosure cards. It will take 25 sheets to make 300 cards. If you have problems downloading the document, e-mail info@pocketflagproject.com and request the template for enclosure cards.

If you’d like, you can put your group’s return address in the blank space on the front of the cards to receive replies from our soldiers. You are also welcome to sign the back of the cards or write a brief message of appreciation. Please keep “Pocket Flag Project” and the web address on your cards.

If volunteers want to sign the back of the cards or write a brief message of thanks or prayer on them, they are welcome to do so.  Sometimes the soldier who receives the flag will write to the person who signed it, sending their letter to the group address on the front for delivery.  Other times, if they write a “Thank you” letter, they will just send it to the group address.

We encourage you to use caution with children folding flags and have them just put their first name and last initial so that the group leader can identify who would receive the response.  There have been no problems in this area but it is just a child safety precaution.  No one needs to put their personal address on a card.  All responses would come to the group address on the front of the card.

Where do we get the recloseable bags?

The enclosure cards are designed to fit in 3×3 bags. This size is preferred to fit in the shirt pocket and easily fit a properly folded flag. Bags can often be found at office supply or jewelry and bead supply stores.

If you cannot find them in your area, a Sea Scout Ship crew will ship bags to you at a reasonable cost. Sets of 300 are $15 and additional sets of 100 are $3. To order, email them at skipper@seascoutship41.org or send your payment and contact information to:

Sea Scout Ship 41
29560 Lake Road
Bay Village, Ohio 44140

How long do we have to complete the flags?

We ask that you complete all the flags within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the flags. Setting a deadline makes it easier for you, us, and our soldiers. Some groups have not followed a deadline and found unfinished flags in a box or the back of someone’s closet months or even years after they were to be done. This makes it impossible to keep track of how many flags have been folded and shipped.

Remember, you are keeping our troops waiting and some may not get this “little piece of home” if you don’t complete and ship every flag. Just one or two flags kept by a volunteer or left unfinished from a batch of flags adds up to thousands not received by our troops.

What do we do with the finished flags?

For those who are near a military base and want to donate them to a local unit being deployed, you can make contact there and notify us of your intent and contact person. This helps us to track where the flags are going, avoid duplication and insure that the flags are going to fulfill the mission of this project.

PLEASE READ ALL THE INFORMATION AT THIS WEBSITE FOR WHERE THESE FLAGS MAY BE USED. WE ARE GETTING NEGATIVE FEEDBACK BECAUSE OF GROUPS NOT FOLLOWING THE MISSION OF THIS PROJECT. THOSE GROUPS NOT FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES AND THE MISSION IS HAVING A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ALL OF US.