OPERATION GRATITUDE INC

Demonstrating that actions speak louder than words, Operation Gratitude provides tangible ways to forge strong bonds between Americans and their Military and First Responder heroes through volunteer service projects, acts of gratitude, and meaningful engagements in communities nationwide.

Operation Gratitude’s mission is to forge strong bonds between Americans and
their Military and First Responder heroes through volunteer service projects, acts of
gratitude, and meaningful engagements in communities nationwide. More than 17
years ago, in March of 2003, Operation Gratitude sent its first four Care Packages
to deployed Service Members in Iraq. Since its inception, the organization has given millions of Americans the opportunity to express appreciation through hands-on volunteerism and lifted the spirits of more than 1.8 million Deployed Troops, and another 1.2 million recruit graduates, veterans, military families, first responders
and healthcare heroes. Corporate partners and grateful citizens from across the country donate more than 15 million “Wish List” and handmade items each year to fill the Care Packages. Through donation drives, letter-writing campaigns, craft projects, hands-on service projects, and other activities, volunteers are the heart
and soul of the organization.

In unique and trying times, when circumstances prevent large groups of people from gathering together to create and deliver Care Packages, Operation Gratitude provides direct support to those serving our nation and their communities with bulk deliveries of donated items and handwritten letters of support. In addition, Operation Gratitude always provides meaningful ways for every grateful American to give back from their own homes through Virtual Volunteerism.

COVID-19 Response: On March 22, 2020, Operation Gratitude launched one of the largest coordinated
efforts in the country to support the brave men and women on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 “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 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 when possible.

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 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 CSR programs by providing the means for companies to offer meaningful hands-on volunteer opportunities on-site or virtually. 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: 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, as they demonstrate that a grateful American is willing to take the time to create something by hand as a show of their appreciation.

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 healthcare 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. When there are no COVID-19 restrictions, 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.

During the pandemic, Operation Gratitude quickly pivoted to focus on bulk delivery of palletized items, virtual volunteerism and smaller scale Assembly Days stretched over multiple days or weeks over a larger space to allow for social distancing. All federal, state and local guidelines were closely followed to ensure safe volunteer activities.

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.

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 • 3 Million+ care packages assembled & shipped to date • One million plus active, engaged volunteers in 2020, despite the challenges associated with gathering due to COVID-19 •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: • Ability to quickly pivot in response to the needs of the communities served • 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 • Off-site Assembly days in cities nationwide• 350,000+ Packages assembled and shipped every year, to include 600,000+ in 2020, even during a pandemic • Provides unlimited volunteer opportunities for every American to give back in a meaningful, unique way from their home or workplace • BRIDGE Council - corporate and civic leaders, and Military, Veteran and first Responder service advocates bringing communities together through hands-on volunteerism and direct interactions • Established the Coalition to support COVID-19 Frontline Responders, a group of companies across all industries who joined Operation Gratitude to leverage their collective resources and capabilities and provide direct support to hundreds of thousands of Frontline Responders nationwide. •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.