Operation Gratitude: Help Assemble Care Packages

Write a thank you note and pitch in on putting together boxes for those who serve.

Expressing your true thanks is done in myriad ways, from a few lines jotted on a piece of paper to a few hours spent assembling care packages, boxes that brim with sheer appreciativeness.

You can roll up your sleeves and get down to both kind acts on Sunday, Sept. 11 when a bevy of volunteers will line up to fill hundreds of Operation Gratitude boxes.

It's likely you've heard about these boxes, since over 1,600,000 have been put together and shipped out to date. The non-profit organization, which is based in Chatsworth, keeps active military members, as well as veterans and first responders, at heart as it goes about its big-of-scope mission.

That mission will take on a special poignancy at the next gathering, which will keep the memory of the Sept. 11, 2001 in mind, and the first responders who arrived to help, comfort, and give their all.

The First Responder Appreciation Day will draw volunteers from fire departments and police departments around Southern California, as well as organizations, groups, and individuals who want to play a part in the major package-assembling event, as a way to say thanks.

The Care Kit Program has been around for 13 years, and while many packages are shipped to military members serving overseas, the First Responder Appreciation Day boxes "will be distributed to Los Angeles Police Officers, Firefighters, and Emergency Medical Technicians" serving our region.

Have a few hours to give on the morning of Sept. 11? Sign up here to volunteer, and let the organizers know you'll be in Chatsworth that day, with sleeves rolled up and box-assembly skills at the ready. And, of course, gratitude on full display.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us