OPERATION GRATITUDE INC

Care Packages for Deployed Troops, Veterans, Wounded Heroes and their Caregivers: Grateful Americans and service friendly companies donate millions of products and handmade items each year. Hundreds of volunteers come together to assemble the Care Packages at large-scale “Assembly Days” at the organization's facility in Chatsworth, CA, as well as at off-site assembly days in select cities nationwide . The Care Packages are then mailed to individually named Deployed Troops, Veterans, Wounded Heroes and Caregivers. Care Pouches for First Responders and Recruit Graduates: at corporate events and large-scale Assembly Days, volunteers assemble Operation Gratitude signature red Care Pouches filled with useful and heartfelt items for First Responders and Recruit Graduates. Operation Gratitude staff and community volunteers then hand deliver the Care Pouches to say “Thank You” to all who serve. Battalion Buddies for the children of Deployed Troops: corporations across the country purchase Operation Gratitude – branded stuffed teddy bear skins. At corporate events, employees stuff the bear skins, transforming them into Battalion Buddies. These Battalion Buddies are delivered to the children of deployed or deploying troops to provide a special source of comfort while their parent is away. As often as possible, Operation Gratitude hand delivers Battalion Buddies at send-off events, holiday parties, and other events. Halloween Candy Give-Back Program: More than 400,000 pounds of Halloween candy are collected annually and sent to Operation Gratitude. The collection sites are local schools, churches, youth groups, and community-based organizations nationwide. Operation Gratitude then includes this candy in its Care Packages. In addition, local organizations are encouraged to donate candy directly to their local First Responders, with Operation Gratitude acting as the facilitator. Corporate Volunteerism: Operation Gratitude offers an easy solution for Corporate Social Responsibility programs by providing the means for companies to offer meaningful hands-on volunteer opportunities on-site. Employees write “thank you” letters, organize collection drives, create paracord survival bracelets, stuff Battalion Buddies, and assemble care kits for inclusion in Care Packages. Handmade with Love: Handmade with Love items such as knit scarves, hats and paracord survival bracelets are among the most cherished items in Operation Gratitude signature Care Packages and Care Pouches, which demonstrates that a grateful American is willing to take the time to create something by hand as a show of their appreciation. In 2019, individuals from all corners of the U.S. contributed nearly 200,000 handmade items to Operation Gratitude. Virtual Volunteerism : Virtual volunteerism provides ways for individuals, groups and businesses to give back from their own homes, giving every American the opportunity to express appreciation to military, veteran and frontline heroes.

Nationally, Operation Gratitude encompasses supporters in every state: College campuses, scout troops, religious congregations, homeowner associations, places of business, civic groups and schools are just some of the communities that join our mission nationwide through a variety of activities. The care packages are assembled in a 35,000 square foot warehouse in Chatsworth, California by a dedicated team of American citizens: seniors working side by side with teenagers; people from every walk of life, rich and poor, able bodied and handicapped; members of every race, nationality and political persuasion, all joined together in common cause to put a smile on a hero's face. During our “Assembly Days," several hundred to a thousand volunteers form assembly lines to produce the care packages. In less than one minute, an unassembled box is completely filled with an assortment of items to include snacks, entertainment items, toiletries, the Operation Gratitude Magazine and personal heart-warming notes from Americans back home. Every hour, approximately 3,500 such care packages, containing up to fifty items each, are produced and loaded onto a waiting U.S. Postal Service or freight truck. A wide variety of groups and organizations participate with Operation Gratitude on site, including Boy and Girl Scouts, senior citizen groups, schools, churches, special needs students and adults, rehabilitation facilities, corporate employees, civic groups and sports teams. There is a job for every person. Similarly, Care Pouches are assembled for Recruit Graduates and First Responders at these same Assembly Days as well as during off-site and corporate sponsored events. Our programs directly benefit individuals and the community. For retirees, the elderly, the handicapped and for Veterans of all eras, Operation Gratitude is a way to stay active and engaged through purposeful volunteerism while still serving their country in a productive and meaningful way. Students seeking community service hours not only meet and work with our diverse group of volunteers, but also learn to respect our nation's service members and first responders. Corporate employees find not only a great team building exercise, but also a heartwarming experience.

Each activity or engagement is designed to drive the following four outcomes: (1) Demand - increase demand for Operation Gratitude Care Packages across all programs in order to say "Thank You" to ALL who serve. (2) Development - growing existing partnerships and creating new ones to support all programs. (3) Volunteerism - create opportunities for tangible volunteerism at the grassroots level and beyond. Our goal for 2020 is 10,000 service projects and more than 1 million volunteers who donate their time, talent, and treasure as a tangible demonstration of their gratitude to their military and first responder heroes, to forge strong bonds with the same, and as a direct mechanism for building and strengthening communities nationwide. (4) Media and Branding - utilizing social media marketing campaigns and projecting the Operation Gratitude brand across multiple digital and social media outlets, as a way to encourage individuals and groups, to include civic, community, and Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), and corporations to support their military and first responder communities. Additionally, the thousands of emails received by Operation Gratitude indicate that progress is being made in terms of the feelings of those receiving the Care Packages and how they feel supported by the community, leading to bridging the civilian-service divide. LTC Schmiegel (RET), Ma’am, Sir, and all contacts for OPERATION GRATITUDE, Hello and Happy Holidays from the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. I would like to personally thank you for taking the time to coordinate, find resources, put together and send off this wonderful care package my soldiers received today! While our units --- are away from family and friends during this holiday season. Your kind and caring hearts were felt across a vast stretch of miles when they received your care package. It brought many smiles to the soldiers and the local workforce that work in our section. Your gracious efforts will be felt for months to come, as these items will be a reminder that "someone" out there cares for these soldiers who choose to serve their country regardless of the time or season. Once again, thank you for being so generous, by offering your time and effort to provide comfort to those who are far, far, away this year. With warmest regards, C. K. M. MAJ, MI MFO CJ2/TFS S2 Dear Operation Gratitude, Thank you! This package arrived on Christmas Eve when I was having a rough time. The thoughtfulness and care that was shown by strangers not only made me cry while reading the letter, but lifted my spirits. The tissues came in handy. During this time of year, when stress pushes us to our limits, it’s nice to know that somebody, somewhere, knows what we are going through. And for that, I am grateful to everyone involved. Thank you so much. C.T., Caregiver

Accomplishments: • 94 cents of every dollar donated goes to program services; fundraising expenses less than 2.5% • Administrative and fundraising expenses are the lowest in the Military Support community • 2.5 Million+ care packages assembled & shipped to date • One million plus active, engaged volunteers in 2019 •370,000+ opted-in social media contacts: Email, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Linked In, Blog, Instagram • Average Annual website hits: 23,000,000; Average Annual website visits: 421,000 • One of the top viewed charities on Guidestar.org; prestigious accreditation by Better Business Bureau What Distinguishes Us From Other Programs: • Overseas packages personally addressed to an individual service member, which makes the recipient feel he/she is not just a number, but an honored individual • Large-scale off-site Assembly days in cities nationwide• 350,000+ Packages assembled and shipped every year • Provides unlimited volunteer opportunities for every American to give back in a meaningful, unique way from their place of work as well as from their homes • BRIDGE Council - corporate and civic leaders, and Military, Veteran and first Responder service advocates bringing communities together through hands-on volunteerism and direct interactions • Assembly and direct delivery of Care Packages by community volunteers, which lead to increased understanding of what it means to serve, and stronger connections, which ultimately lead to stronger communities and bridging of the civilian-service divide.