Another great organisation to support over the holidays. Kinda excited about making some paracord survival straps and getting the office together to collect and send care packages too. 
Operation Gratitude annually sends at least 100,000 care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions, to their children left behind and to wounded warriors recovering in military hospitals or transition units. Our mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member’s face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Each package contains donated product valued at ~$125 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship.
For safety and security, assembling of packages occurs at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, California. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 750,000 packages to American Military deployed overseas.
Please join our efforts! Sign up for our Mailing List for updates and information. You can visit our website, ”like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch inspirational videos on our YouTube channel.
The following is our “Wish List” for items we need for the FR Kits: AA and AAA batteries; quick-drying, medium-sized towels; energy bars; sporks (combination utensil/tool); heavy work gloves (size Large); head lamps; safety glasses; all-weather spiral notebooks; pens; Leatherman-style tools; Nalgene water bottles and handmade Paracord ”Survival” Bracelets. See a Paracord Bracelet pictured, left. Learn more about them here: How to Make a Paracord Bracelet.
Please consider organizing a “collection drive” to gather FR Kit items for us. (Find an informational flyer about “How to Host a Collection Drive”)
Product donations may be shipped to:
Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard
17330 Victory Boulevard
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Attn: First Responder ProgramPlease download, fill out and include a Donation Form in every package you send us. Find important donation and shipping tips here: Donation & Shipping Info