California First Lady Maria Shriver will join Operation Gratitude at 10a.m. on Saturday May 20 to kick-off the organization's Third Annual Patriotic Drive to assemble and mail over 40,000 care packages to deployed troops for delivery by July 4th.

During the Armed Forces Weekend and continuing through the Memorial Day and Father's Day Weekends, Operation Gratitude, together with the California Army National Guard, 746th QM BN and more than 1000 volunteers, will assemble and ship at least 40,000 Patriotic Care Packages filled with assorted snacks, Girl Scout Cookies, Computer Flash Drives, DVDs, CDs, games, stuffed animals, t-shirts, toiletries and personal letters of support. First Lady Shriver will assist the volunteers in assembling packages for two companies of deployed California National Guard Soldiers, as well as for Marines, Airmen, Sailors and Soldiers from every state in the nation.

WHAT: Operation Gratitude Patriotic Drive

WHEN:
May 20-21, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily (Armed Forces Weekend)
May 27-29, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily (Memorial Weekend)
June 17-18, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. daily (Father's Day Weekend)

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

All products for the packages have been donated by individuals, organizations, schools, community groups, businesses and Corporate Sponsors (companies that have donated $10,000 or 10,000 items or more), including House of Batteries, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl's, EZ Scores, NetZeroVoice, Emer'gen-C, San Francisco Bay Coffee, Champion Nutrition, Rotary Pen, Pfizer, Listerine, Lubriderm, Kingston Technology, Break Media, Sunkist Pistachios, FritoLay, Beer Nuts, Fortune Fashion, Military Money Magazine, On-Line Administrators, Avery, Axiom Label and Girl Scout Councils in Southern California and Colorado. Participating Checkers/Rally's Restaurants across the country and our own local Star Chrysler-Jeep Dealer in Glendale are official Drop-Off sites for item donations through June 15. Overall expenses of ~$15/package are covered by tax deductible financial donations from citizens across the country and from Corporate Sponsors including Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. and Covey Run/Turner Road Wineries.

Donations of items and letters are welcome and needed to fill all the packages, and will be accepted through June 15. For more information and downloadable Flyers about the Patriotic Drive and Letter Writing Campaigns, please email:cblashek@aol.com

Operation Gratitude obtains the names of troops from their loved ones or from comrades who previously received a package. The vast majority of names are provided by commanders and leaders in the field who have seen first-hand the positive impact of the program on the morale of their Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors.

WHAT THE TROOPS SAY:

"Thank you for all the support to the troops here in Iraq. The care packages and letters of wisdom have helped us get through our deployment. Each box/letter you've sent has brought joy and smiles to our faces. I pray that you may continue to do your good deeds for the rest of the troops fighting for freedom. May God bless you all. All the way from Iraq! Aloha, SPC J"

"I wanted to thank everyone from Operation Gratitude. I'm very touched and truly amazed by the number of people and companies that came together to accomplish what you have. I knew that people back home cared about us, and supported what we are doing, but until I got the pictures and letters in this package, I never realized that it was so many people from so many backgrounds and places. I am truly grateful for the items you all sent to me. They will keep me entertained, make my life easier, and even keep my taste buds happy. SPC JR"

" I can’t begin to express my gratitude for your words of support and encouragement and for the gifts. Many of us here at the Surgical Shock Trauma Platoon have received packages which we share with our comrades, and it really lifts our spirits to know how much people at home care about us and believe in the importance of what we do. People like you are why we do what we do. We love you!!!! Semper Fi!! CAPT R.C., USN"

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, Bosnia, Kosovo and onto military ships all over the world.

Operation Gratitude was founded in March 2003 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 111,000 packages to American troops deployed overseas.