November Charity of the Month

Operation Gratitude

Tens of thousands of American Service Members are deployed in hostile and remote regions of the world, including the Middle East, Afghanistan, and on ships throughout international waters. The physical conditions they must endure are difficult and they may be separated from loved ones for long periods of time.

Operation Gratitude seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed overseas. Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support.
Through Collection Drives, Letter Writing Campaigns and Donations of funds for shipping expenses, Operation Gratitude provides civilians anywhere in America a way to express their respect and appreciation to the men and women of the U.S. Military in an active, hands-on manner.

Operation Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer corporation, funded entirely by private donations. For safety and security, the assembling of all packages occurs at the Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, California.

How You Can Help – Individuals and Organizations

At this time, our most urgent need is for personal letters, hand-made scarves, Beanie Babies and financial donations to pay for postage. 
Scroll Down for Details on these Ways to Help:
1. Donate Financially
2. Organize a Fundraiser
3. Collect:
     Halloween Candy
     Beanie Babies/Webkinz
     Girl/Boy Scout Cookies, Nuts, Popcorn
4. Hand-Made Craft Projects:
      Knit/Crochet Scarves
      Sew Bandana Cool-Ties
      Sew Neck Gaters
      Create Greeting Cards
5. Volunteering at Armory
6. Write Letters:
       To Currently Deployed Service Members
To Veterans of Previous Conflicts
7. Fundraise through Recycling

8. Donate Your Vehicle
9. Fundraise by Searching the Internet and by Shopping
10. Spread the Word
View Operation Gratitude Posters Here.
Email OpGrat@gmail.com if you would like digital files to reproduce copies (designed to print out as 22" x 28").  We will mail the files on a CD.

1. Donate financially by mail or online.
Monetary donations to Operation Gratitude go toward the overall shipping expenses required to send the care packages through the U.S. Postal Service. Our cost for each package averages $11. Operation Gratitude sends approximately 100,000 care packages each year, creating a budget over $1.1 Million per year!  

Your donation of any amount will be greatly appreciated. 
Operation Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) organization; all donations are tax deductible as provided by law.

Please make checks payable and send to:
Operation Gratitude
16444 Refugio Road
Encino, California 91436
To donate online using SimpleGive, please click here or this Donate Button:

Paypal Donations can be made here: PAYPAL.
TRIBUTES: If you would like to make a donation in someone’s honor or memory, please include the name and address of the person you would like notified (in the designated form field if donating online or on a note if sending a check) and we will mail a beautiful tribute letter to them; donors will receive a letter of acknowledgment for tax purposes.
Every $11 donated sends another care package: You may be able to double or even triple your donation!  Many companies have matching gift programs, which means they’ll match your donation, or maybe even double or triple it!  Please check with your Human Resources/Personnel office to learn if your donation is eligible for a matching donation.
2. Organize a Fundraising Event

If you have an idea for a fundraiser to benefit Operation Gratitude, please email OpGrat@gmail.com
3. Organize a Collection Drive
Collection Drives for Operation Gratitude are an active and fun way for your friends, neighbors, members, scouts and/or students to show their support for our troops.
To begin your Collection Drive:
1. Notify your constituency of the dates, times and location of collection
2. Specify what items you will accept (See Wish List).
3. Encourage donations of Beanie Babies, Candy and Scarves
4. Encourage Writing of personal letters
Please email OpGrat@gmail.com for sample flyers for Operation Gratitude Drives.
A. Halloween Candy:
We welcome your excess Halloween Candy for our care packages!
For flyers and more details, email OpGrat@gmail.com
Check out our Halloween Candy Video on YouTube: Halloween Video
Dentists: Please email OpGrat@gmail.com to participate in a Candy Buy-Back program.
B. Beanie Babies/Webkinz:
We received the following letter from a Marine:
"I live with 17 Marines and Sailors in one room. Everyone got a package and everyone loved it especially the cookies and beanie babies. The cookies are excellent and the beanie babies help us out a lot with the local kids. We give them candy and toys and they give us the location for IED’s. Once again, thank you for everything and for all the hard work that you put into the package. LCPL ND"
Your old Beanie Baby and Webkinz collections can save the lives of our heroes!
Please donate them to our cause–they will be priceless.
C. Girl and Boy Scout Troops:
We are delighted to work with you on a "Troops to Troops" program for your cookie, nut and popcorn sales. Encourage your buyers to purchase additional products to donate to Operation Gratitude for our care packages! Please email vantrump@aol.com for more information and sample flyers. 
* See below for Shipping Instructions

4. Craft Projects:
a) Knit/Crochet Scarves (5-7" Wide, 45-50" long)
***Feel free to use your own "recipe" or see sample below.***
For more information on The Scarf Project, please email: sharhoward39@gmail.com For more ideas: http://www.tropicalyarns.com/index.cfm?PID=22&ProdID=294
We need 60,000 scarves for the holiday packages–please help!
b) Bandana Cool-Tie Project (for summer packages):
Here’s a great craft project for school, scout, social and community groups: Follow these links for patterns and directions.
http://seworganized.com/sewsimple/cooltie.html
http://www.watersorb.com/polymer_cool_neck_bands.htm
Follow this link to buy the water-absorbing polymer granules needed for your Cool Ties: http://www.watersorb.com/mainstore.html
Please use tan, brown, desert camouflage or other neutral colored cotton. No American flag fabric please.
c) Neck Gaiters (Gators) Directions (for the winter packages):
Please see: http://www.uberpest.com/gaiter.html
d) Hand-made Greeting Cards:
We welcome hand-made cards with your personal messages on them or blank cards that the troops can use to write to their loved ones (or to you!).
* See below for Shipping Directions
5. Volunteering at the Armory
If you are in the Southern California area and would like to assist in the packaging of the gift boxes, please contact us for details at: OpGratVolunteer@yahoo.com .  Write "Operation Gratitude Volunteer" in the subject line.
Children 12 years and older are welcome in the armory; 12-16 year old volunteers must have a responsible adult with them on the premises at all times.
For more information, click here: Volunteer Schedule
6. Write Letters
Operation Gratitude strives to include several personal letters in every package that we send.  Help ensure that a Soldier, Sailor, Marine or Airman knows that you are thinking of them by writing cards or letters. 

What to Write About
Keep your message upbeat and positive
Be thankful ~~ share a little bit of yourself
Ask questions; however, do not discuss death or killing
Avoid politics completely and religion in excess
It’s all about appreciation and respect
Ask yourself:  “Will this letter bring a smile to someone’s face?”
More Helpful Information 
Sample salutations: Dear Hero, Dear Brave One
Include your own mail or email so recipients can choose to reply
No stamps or envelopes are needed
Hand Written letters or cards are most appreciated.
All letters will  be screened—please do not seal envelopes  
If you do not receive a reply, do not be discouraged. 
Remember:  Our troops are busy!  
Where to Send
Operation Gratitude
16444 Refugio Road
Encino, California 91436

We accept letters all year.
Click here for a Letter Writing Flyer: Letter Flyer
7. Fundraise Through Recycling:
Good for the Environment and Good for the Troops!
a) GRC Wireless Recycling will pay Operation Gratitude up to $30 per cell phone, PDA or laptop, and pre-pay the shipping expenses.  GRC can organize a Recycling Campaign for your community, with promotional materials, to benefit Operation Gratitude.  For more information, click here: Wireless Recycling or email: info@grcrecycling.com or call: 877-744-3601. 
GRC will also recycle Ink-Jet cartridges.

b) Access Recycling will pay Operation Gratitude for every used cell phone, ink-jet cartridge, toner cartridge, laptop computer, IPOD, PDA or video received, and will pre-pay the shipping expenses. For more information, click here: Recycle For our Troops!  If you have questions, please contact: gratitude@accessrecycling.com

8. Donate Your Vehicle:
To Cars for Causes–Proceeds will benefit Operation Gratitude!

9. Fundraise While You Search or Shop:
This is a great way to do your everyday shopping and support our troops at the same time! 
a) Operation Gratitude Store: Purchase Operation Gratitude-logo items; $5 of every item purchase is donated to Operation Gratitude.
   b) Buy and Sell on Ebay: 10-100% of auction proceeds are designated to Operation Gratitude.
   c) Purchase a New Cell Phone and $40-50 will be donated to Operation Gratitude!
d) Operation Gratitude Online Shopping Portal connects you to more than 1000 online merchants that provide specials and discounts to our supporters and that also donate a portion of your online purchases back to Operation Gratitude.  
   e) GoodSearch.com is an internet search engine that will donate a penny per search to Operation Gratitude. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results and help us send more care packages to the troops every time you search!  
10. Spread the Word
Please forward this web site to everyone and anyone you know who might be interested in helping Operation Gratitude.
**Shipping Instructions:
All items and letters can be shipped or delivered between September 8–December 5 and from April 1 to May 5 to:

Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard
17330 Victory Boulevard
Van Nuys, California 91406
ATTN: Charlie Othold

~Your only shipping cost is in sending the items to Operation Gratitude.
~Financial donations towards the cost ($11) of shipping to troops will be appreciated
~Please mail checks separately from cartons of items.
~All financial donations will be acknowledged by mail.
~If you would like to receive an acknowledgment for donated items, please include your name and email or mailing address inside the shipment (email acknowledgments will help us save the cost of postage!).
~Acknowledgments will be sent within three months.
~If you want confirmation of delivery on your shipment to us, please use the tracking system provided by your shipper.
***Scarf Recipe-Use sport-weight yarn with the Mistake Rib pattern that is simple, gives a little body to the scarf and will not curl!!!  Using an approximate stockinette gauge of 22 stitches/4 inches cast on however many stitches you want for the width of the scarf as a multiple of 4 and then add five more stitches.  For a 4 inches wide scarf, cast-on 24 + 5.  For a 6 inches wide scarf, cast on 32 +5. For a 8 inches wide scarf, cast on 44 + 5. For every row *k2, p2, repeat from * ending with a k1.  The Mistake Rib stitch pattern does not pull in like a 2×2 rib will but it has a great deal of stretchiness and creates an interesting texture and is reversible. 

For legal and security reasons, Operation Gratitude^SM is not at liberty to provide or disclose the names and addresses of service members. For additional information or to discuss your involvement in greater detail, please email OpGrat@gmail.com

Thank you again for your thoughtfulness and patriotic support of our troops!