During the weekend of December 17th-18th, 2005 hundreds of volunteers will join together at the California Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys to assemble Operation Gratitude’s 100,000th Care Package for shipment to a U.S. Service Member deployed overseas. Operation Gratitude Military Liaison, SSG Elizabeth Cowie, expects to hit this milestone moment near the 12:00 noon hour on Saturday, December 17th.

In addition to regular Wish List items provided by more than 50 Corporate Sponsors and Friends, and by tens of thousands of individual donors across the country, the 100,000th Care Package will feature two tickets to a 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race donated by Operation Gratitude Sponsor Checkers/Rally’s, the Official Burger of NASCAR. The Care Package recipient will also enjoy free Checkers/Rally’s food for one year. The 100,000th Care Package will also include a 2-Night Stay at the San Francisco Hilton, donated by Hilton Hotels Corporation, two nights at the Harrahs and Harveys at Lake Tahoe and a Digital Camera.

New and returning volunteers will gather at the National Guard Armory between 10am-5 pm on December 17th & 18th to assemble 10-12,000 additional Holiday Care Packages. By the end of the weekend, Operation Gratitude will have assembled over 38,000 packages during this 2005 Holiday Drive, which started during the Veteran’s Weekend in mid- November.

Tens of thousands of deployed troops have received the surprise Care Packages since Operation Gratitude sent its first shipment in March, 2003, and they express their appreciation through a constant flow of letters, emails and pictures, as seen in the Mail Call and Photo Gallery sections of the www.operationgratitude.com website.

“Your packages silenced my usually circus-like office. As the notes and cards were passed around and soldiers began reading over each others shoulders, you could've heard a pin drop. As I looked around I began to wonder, if you and your people really understand how much you touch so many soldiers. I wondered if you and your people feel that your efforts even make a difference in a soldier's life or are even appreciated. Your efforts do bring smiles and heart felt thanks” wrote CW4 S.M from Iraq.

Volunteers (ages 12 years and older) are welcome to assist in the weekend activities. The Armory is located at: 17330 Victory Boulevard; Van Nuys, CA; 91436; at the corner of Victory and Louise. For additional information, please visit the www.operationgratitude.com website, email cblashek@aol.com or call the Hotline: 818-789-0563

Media and press are invited to attend the 100,000 package celebration

WHAT: Operation Gratitude Holiday Drive and 100,000th Care Package Celebration

WHEN: December 17-18, 2005, 10:00 a.m. - 5p.m. daily

Shipment of 100,000th Package: 12:00 Noon, Saturday December 17, 2005

WHERE: California Army National Guard Armory; 17330 Victory Boulevard: Van Nuys, Ca. 91406 Corner of Victory and Louise

Learn more...

Operation Gratitude ( www.operationgratitude.com ) is the California- based 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that sends care packages and letters addressed to individually named U.S. troops deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay, Kosovo and on military ships all over the world.

Operation Gratitude was founded in March 2003 by Carolyn Blashek to support U.S. Troops serving in some of the world’s harshest locations and is funded entirely by private donations and staffed exclusively by volunteers. Its mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and to express to all troops the appreciation and support of the American people. For safety and security, the assembling of packages occurs at the California Army National Guard, 746th QM BN Armory in Van Nuys, California. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude has delivered more than 98,000 packages to American troops deployed overseas.