It may seem a little early to discuss Veteran’s Day, which I’m sure you know we celebrate on November 11th. But really, I’m doing you a favor by giving you a heads up so you can prepare to observe this important national holiday.
I’ve written before about some of the admirable organizations that put together care packages for active duty soldiers. Sometimes a little piece of home — or a few cookies — can make all the difference in the world. Today I learned about another great care package sending nonprofit called Operation Gratitude. Operation Gratitude was created by Carolyn Blashek after 9/11 when the regulations changed so that you could no longer send care packages addressed “To Any Soldier”. The soldiers still desperately needed a morale boost, and folks at home still wanted to show the soldiers we care. Carolyn organized care packages by collecting the names of soldiers, and coordinating assembly of the shipments at the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, California, to fulfill the security requirements. Carolyn manages the business side of the nonprofit out of her home to keep costs down, but that hasn’t stopped Operation Gratitude from growing like crazy. They expect to send their 400,000th package this December, which is pretty amazing!
The Operation Gratitude site has a wish list, which includes batteries, phone cards and small, individually-wrapped food treats … like Halloween candy. So if you don’t know what to do with all of the extra goodies that your little one brought home, or that you impulse-bought on sale at Walgreens, here’s a feel good solution! Don’t eat those Starburst and Twizzlers, send them to Operation Gratitude. Just remember that chocolate gets melty in the heat, so pick the other kinds of candy, and enjoy a couple of guilt-free Reese’s Peanut Buttercups as a reward for your good deed.
The soldiers also request travel-sized personal care items like foot powder and deodorant. In the spirit of keeping things smelling fresh, Febreze is partnering with Family Dollar stores to fulfill this wish. Between now and Veteran’s Day, for every bottle of Febreze purchased at the stores, a bottle of Febreze To Go will be included in an Operation Gratitude care package. So now you know where to go to get your Febreze fix during the next couple of weeks. A nice gesture would be to include a note to the (sugar crashing, but good smelling) soldiers, telling them how much we appreciate their hard work, and sending wishes for a safe return home. There are lots of Veteran’s Day cards at the drugstore, but a quick note on lined paper would be just as appreciated. And remember to vote on November 4th!