markharmon

Operation Gratitude is the California-based 501 (c) (3) non-profit,  volunteer organization that sends care packages of snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and on Naval ships at sea. Its mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service members faces and to express to all our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. As shown in the pictures, Hollywood’s finest are showing up to assist in this worthwhile cause:  Mark Harmon, Gary Sinese, Ben Affleck, Patricia Heaton, Kathy Ireland and many more.

patriciaheaton

Operation Gratitude receives the names of thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines from commanders in the field who see the positive impact of care packages on their troops’ morale. The organization sends 100,000+ care packages every year during two major campaigns: A Patriotic Drive in May and a Holiday Drive in the winter. Each package contains donated product valued at $100 and costs the organization $11 to assemble and ship.

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For safety and security all assembling of packages occurs at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, California. Since its inception in March, 2003, Operation Gratitude has shipped more than 450,000 packages to American service members deployed overseas. To learn more about how you can help, please visit these websites: www.operationgratitude.com www.youtube.com/OpGrat www.twitter.com/OpGratitude and www.facebook.com/OperationGratitude