Operation Gratitude’s Shelves Nearly Empty

Operation Gratitude needs our help. It recently had 1,332 volunteers assemble 11,280 care kits for first responders, depleting their stock of items for the boxes. And no wonder … since the first of the year, they have assembled 167,122 care packages for the military and first responders. OpGrat started at Carolyn Blashek’s dining-room table outside Los Angeles in 2003, assembling packages to be shipped to active military in harm’s way. It’s never faltered, never failed to deliver. Thus far it has sent out 1.67 million care packages. Now the holidays are coming, always a big push for OpGrat. From now through the end of the year, volunteers will be asked to assemble and ship 20,000 packages per month. And the shelves are nearly empty. There are a number of ways you can help. Go online to www.operationgratitude. com/wishlist and view the wish list for the packages. Dental kits, food, games, DVDs, socks, lip balm, gift cards and handmade items … the list is long. If you plan to send items, look on the OpGrat site for the Donation Form. Scroll down the wish list page and see how you can help via Amazon.com purchases. You won’t even have to box up and ship your donations because Amazon does that for you. Do a search on Amazon for Operation Gratitude’s Wish List, with items prioritized and quantity needed. Do you work for a company that makes any of the listed products and will donate in bulk? Let OpGrat know at angel@operationgratitude.com

••• On another topic, do you like golf? The Veteran Golfers Association is having a championship tournament near Biloxi, Mississippi, in mid October. Per the news release, “Wounded veterans and Purple Heart recipients will make up nearly half the field.” For details, go online to www.vgachampion ship.org. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.