OpGrat takes on Hurricane Harvey

You’ve read here about Operation Gratitude, the amazing group that sends care packages to active military in harm’s way, dependents, wounded warriors, new recruits and first responders. Over the years, it has sent out 1.8 million packages, averaging a quarter million packages each year.

That’s not all they do. During the horror of Hurricane Harvey, OpGrat sent truckloads of much-needed supplies to hardhit

areas in Texas and Louisiana. The first day alone, 10 pallets of goods left California for the damaged areas. More than 900 people showed up to help collect, sort and pack much-needed items. Within days, another 39 pallets were ready to ship.

People have stepped up in other ways, using OpGrat as a kind of clearinghouse to get a message out. A group in California arranged to send 500 bales of alfalfa to Texas to feed horses displaced by the floods.

Once the chaos starts to subside in Texas and Louisiana, volunteers will be sending out First Responder “Thank You” kits. That’s where they’ll need more help in the coming weeks.

You know what I’m going to ask you to do, don’t you? Open your wallet and send them a few dollars.

Aside from their hurricane efforts, it costs $15 to ship each box they send out. (No, they don’t get discounts from the Post Office. It’s all on us to help them.) A little info: Your donation is tax deductible. OpGrat has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, where its Accountability & Transparency score is 100.

To help, you can go online to www.operationgratitude.com/ make-donation. If you prefer to send a check, mail to: Operation Gratitude, P.O. Box 260257, Encino, CA 91426-0257

If you’re not familiar with OpGrat, go online to www.operationgratitude.com and explore the site. They’re good people.