The Gallery Collection recently made a 7,500 greeting card donation to Operation Gratitude for their 1 Millionth Care Package Celebration. Carolyn Blashek, the Founder and CEO of Operation Gratitude, was kind enough to provide us with some information about both Operation Gratitude and the upcoming One Millionth Care-Package Event. Read on below to learn more about what the organization does, and how it benefits the members of the military community.
- What is Operation Gratitude?
- Operation Gratitude is a volunteer-based organization that annually sends 100,000+ care packages & letters of support to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Marines deployed in harm’s way & on ships at sea, to their children left behind, and to Wounded Warriors, Care Givers, Veterans, Military Families and First Responders.
- How did Operation Gratitude get started?
- In March 2003, Founder Carolyn Blashek met with a soldier who broke down at her desk after letting her know that he was going back on deployment and due to some of the personal issues he was experiencing at the time, he did not care if he made it back. It was then that Carolyn realized that troops need to believe that someone at home cares about them as an individual and Operation Gratitude was officially born.
- What is the Operation Gratitude One Millionth Care Package Event?
- On December 7th, 2013, Operation Gratitude will assemble and celebrate their One Millionth Care Package, which is something that no other organization has accomplished.
- When is the Operation Gratitude One Millionth Care package Event?
- December 7th, 2013
- How will the cards The Gallery Collection donated be used during the One Millionth Care Package Event?
- The 5,000 Thank you for Attending Cards will be distributed to everyone who attends the event as a token of appreciation for their attendance and help. There will also be another 2,500 Thank you for Your Service cards that will be used by attendees for signing and writing notes that will then be placed in the care packages that will be sent out. Get a closer look at the two sets of cards The Gallery Collection donated here.
- What are some of the things that will be happening during the One Millionth Care Package Event?
- Assembly of the “One Millionth” & “One Millionth & One” Packages
- Santa Claus Photo Ops and Giveaways
- Entertainment and Celebrity Surprises
- Games & Activities for Kids; Raffle and Door Prizes
- What kind of donations does Operation Gratitude Accept?
- Operation Gratitude accepts all kinds of items including things like DVDs, CDs, gift cards, toothpaste, deodorant and much much more. A complete list of wish items can be found at the below link:
- How many items are included in each care package?
- Each care package contains 50 or more donated snack, entertainment and personal care items.
- Where does the assembly of the actual care packages take place?
- Operation Gratitude conducts its Assembly Drives in the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, California where more than 15,000 local volunteers participate on-site and 250,000 volunteer hours are served per year.
- Where can people go to find out more information about Operation Gratitude?
- More information about Operation Gratitude can be found below:
- Information about the Millionth Care-Package event can be found below:
This sounds like a great cause. Way to go Gallery Collection!
This makes me proud to be an American. Proud of all of the service men and women, their families and people like Carolyn Blashek. And last but definitely not least, the volunteers who make this happen.
Any company that supports our troops, has my support as well. I agree, this makes me proud to be an American as well. It’s nice to see us stand united in this support.
I have been ordering from the Gallery Collection for the past 7 years, so I’m glad to see that they are making a difference with such a generous donation.