Continuing an annual tradition, Royer's Flowers & Gifts recently presented several thousand holiday cards and coloring pages to the American Red Cross for distribution to area veterans.

Royer's, which has participated in the American Red Cross' "Holidays for Heroes" program for nearly a decade, collected the cards from the public in each of its stores throughout November.

In addition, as part of a new program, Royer's Flowers & Gifts donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of two arrangements featuring plush animals - Kitten in a Basket and Puppy in a Basket - to area animal shelter and rescue efforts.

For the first awards, Royer's has sent $100 checks to 10 area animal organizations: Humane Pennsylvania, serving Berks and Lancaster counties; Animal Rescue League of Berks County; Speranza Animal Rescue in Mechanicsburg; Castaway Critters and Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area in Dauphin County; Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter in Chambersburg; 2nd Chance 4 Life Rescue in Elizabethtown; Columbia Animal Shelter; Humane Society of Lebanon County; and York County SPCA.

The Kitten in a Basket and Puppy in a Basket arrangements are available year-round.

Family-owned Royer's has 16 stores in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties, including one Stephenson's Flowers & Gifts location in Harrisburg.