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OPERATION GRATITUDE TO SEND 10,000 CARE PACKAGES DURING PATRIOTIC DRIVE OVER MEMORIAL WEEKEND...
OPGratitude.com ^ | 5-24-04 | Carolyn Blashek

Posted on 05/21/2004 11:18:43 AM PDT by veronica

OPERATION GRATITUDE...is the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that sends care packages and letters of support to soldiers deployed overseas. Its mission is to lift morale, put a smile on a service member's face and express the appreciation of the American people for the sacrifices of the men and women defending our freedom. To date, Operation Gratitude has sent 8300 care packages to individual soldiers in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Korea, Kosovo and onto ships all over the world. Over this Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-30, Operation Gratitude volunteers will assemble and ship 10,000 care packages to reach individually named troops by July 4th.

After 9-11, founder Carolyn Blashek felt a passionate desire to help fight the war on terrorism. Although a 47-year-old mother of two living in Encino, Calif., her first thought was to join the Army Reserves. She quickly found out she was too old for active duty and started volunteering at the USO in Los Angeles. One day in March 2003, a soldier came into the office and broke down at Blashek's desk. He was on leave from a war zone for his mother's funeral, his wife had left him and his only child died as an infant; he had no one else in his life. "I'm going back over there; I don't know if I'll return this time, but it really doesn't matter because no one would even notice" he told her. Right then Blashek realized that when bullets are flying, it's critical for troops' survival to believe that someone cares about them as an individual. That's when Operation Gratitude was born.

While most organizations ask people to support the troops by writing a check, Blashek wanted to provide a more personal and hands-on connection with our troops overseas. She started asking everyone she met if they knew a deployed service member needing extra TLC so she could send them care packages of snacks, toiletries and entertainment items. Most importantly, each package includes letters of encouragement from supporters (especially students) who contact Blashek through Operation Gratitude's website (www.opgratitude.com )wanting to participate in the program.

This grassroots organization started at Blashek's dining room table and now encompasses churches, schools, businesses and service groups all over the country donating items and writing letters to soldiers through Operation Gratitude (local Girl Scout troops have donated over 8000 boxes of their cookies). Last November, after Operation Gratitude relocated to the Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, Calif., the organization held a "Support Our Troops" rally where 200 volunteers assembled 4,000 holiday packages in one weekend. By mid -December, more than 6,000 holiday packages had been mailed.

Operation Gratitude receives the names of the troops from their loved ones or from comrades who have already received a package. The vast majority of names are provided by commanders in the field who have seen first-hand the positive impact of the program on the morale of their soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors. Operation Gratitude has recently expanded its program to send packages to wounded troops in long-term convalescence in stateside hospitals.

Operation Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) organization. All financial donations are tax-deductible and are used entirely to pay the costs of shipping, which average $15-20 per care package for postage alone.

Operation Gratitude is planning its Patriotic Drive that will take place over the Memorial Day weekend, May 29-30, 2004 at the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, California. Over 400 volunteers will assemble and ship ~10,000 care packages that weekend. The National Guard soldiers will conduct a Car Wash during the event to raise funds, and local Scouts will host a BBQ. We welcome volunteers as well as donations of funds and products for the packages. Operation Gratitude will launch its 2004 Holiday Drive over the Veteran's Day weekend in November, and expects to send 20-25,000 packages at that time.

The items that are most needed include: DVDs and CDs AT&T Phone cards Personal Cooling Products: Misty Mates, Bandana Coolers, Handheld fans Boxes of Girl Scout Cookies (non-chocolate preferred) Individual Packets of Trail Mix, Dried Fruit or Nuts Ready to Eat Food Kits (Tuna, Chicken Salad) Energy/Power bars, Snack Foods, Beef Jerky Packets of Powdered Beverages Disposable Cameras Handheld Electronic Games Small containers of Foot Powder Unsealed Letters and Cards

For additional information, please contact: Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude 818-789-0123 cblashek@aol.com OPERATION GRATITUDE


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Announcements; Free Republic; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: carepackages; memorialday; operationgratitude; supportourtroops; supportthetroops
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1 posted on 05/21/2004 11:18:49 AM PDT by veronica
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To: dennisw; SJackson; JohnHuang2; hchutch; In_25_words_or_less; BenF; Nachum; kattracks; Sabertooth; ..

FYI...


2 posted on 05/21/2004 11:20:55 AM PDT by veronica (Sen. Robert Bryd has seen more hoods than Iraqi prisoners ever wore....)
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To: veronica

Its nice to see that some Americans see MD as something more than tubing down the river while drinking beer until you throw up in the cooler.


3 posted on 05/21/2004 11:21:33 AM PDT by mlbford2 (Sorry for spelling errors, I'm a product of a state university)
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To: veronica

Wonderful group. Support the troops with our time and money. It's important. They must be feeling undermined now more than ever by the leftists and the press.


4 posted on 05/21/2004 11:22:40 AM PDT by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed.)
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To: veronica; JulieRNR21; Vets_Husband_and_Wife; Cinnamon Girl; Alamo-Girl; Bigg Red; jwalsh07; ...
a big VetsCoR BUMP of support for Operation Gratitude!!!

±

"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty."
Toward FREEDOM

5 posted on 05/21/2004 12:07:38 PM PDT by Neil E. Wright (An oath is FOREVER)
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To: veronica

Bump for reference.


6 posted on 05/21/2004 12:39:20 PM PDT by Rummyfan
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To: Rummyfan

bump


7 posted on 05/21/2004 1:04:35 PM PDT by Sacajaweau (God Bless Our Troops!!)
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To: veronica

bflr


8 posted on 05/21/2004 1:24:28 PM PDT by cgk
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To: veronica

bump


9 posted on 05/21/2004 1:28:50 PM PDT by dalebert
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To: MoJo2001; Kathy in Alaska

PING-A-LINGY-LING! :-)


10 posted on 05/21/2004 4:24:52 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma (I'm a Freeper. Fear me. Be very, very afraid.)
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To: veronica

Bump


11 posted on 05/21/2004 9:14:45 PM PDT by djreece (Psalm 34)
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To: djreece

BTTT


12 posted on 05/22/2004 3:32:40 AM PDT by LadyShallott ("An armed society is a polite society."~Robert A. Heinlein)
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To: LadyShallott

BTTT.


13 posted on 05/22/2004 4:50:38 AM PDT by mewzilla
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To: mewzilla

Bump back at ya! :)


14 posted on 05/22/2004 4:54:26 AM PDT by LadyShallott ("An armed society is a polite society."~Robert A. Heinlein)
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To: veronica

Lots of bumps on the thread... but are any FReepers attending? We will be - me and my family. I hope others can make it :).

I was at the post office a week ago mailing my own care packages to the soldiers I adopted and the clerk told me they are opening on Memorial Day JUST FOR Operation Gratitude. She told me then they expected to send out 10,000 packages to our troops.

I went home and looked up the info, and made plans :).


15 posted on 05/22/2004 10:53:48 AM PDT by cgk
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To: veronica

OK, I had not heard of this particular group, but here in Tom Green county Texas, we have been collecting and shipping paperback books for eight months. Got a nice thank you from the Dec. load, just sent over eight beer boxes full last week.

Reason I am writing, the Dec. shipment the Concho Valley Republican Women paid postage. Since then, I mentioned our drive to an active duty Marine here at Goodfellow AFB, and our last load of books went postage free,stamped "official". Ain't gonna swear that's totally legal, but he and his CO are happy to do it. Just a thought, might help in what you are doing.

I'm sure they can use whatever sort of goodies we can send, but I understand English language Hastings stores are rather rare there. Words in a row are much appreciated. Westerns, mysteries, Sci-fi, even bodice ripper romance crap, rules as the tell me are; no porn; no hardbacks (shipping weight), and no magazines. Please don't try to send two tons of Geographics. Coordinate with your nearest base, they should be able to help you on shipping.


16 posted on 05/23/2004 1:41:38 PM PDT by barkeep
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To: barkeep

I have been sending care packages on my own and you can send out paperback books via "media mail" which is real cheap. You cannot send magazines that way as they have advertising in them. Media mail is usually the last thing loaded on the plane but at least it allows me to send a box every now and then. Most everything else I send Priority and this really does add up fast. I must admit that the thank you letters I have received are fantastic - they are so appreciative of "everything".


17 posted on 05/24/2004 6:21:53 AM PDT by deener
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To: deener

Atlanta Area notice
MEMORIAL DAY SERVICES WILL BE HELD HERE AT NOON ON 31 MAY.
Marietta National Cemetery
500 Washington Avenue
Marietta, Ga., 30060
Please pass and share this important date and event.


18 posted on 05/24/2004 2:23:33 PM PDT by Broker
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To: merry10

ping to self


19 posted on 05/25/2004 9:38:15 PM PDT by merry10
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To: veronica
See THIS thread, it has pictures that I took today while volunteering.
20 posted on 05/29/2004 10:42:54 PM PDT by markv840
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