Support US troops this 4th of July by sending coffee

July 1, 8:18 AMLA Coffee ExaminerKim Winklhofer

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Photo: Wendy Piersall

Why not celebrate Independence Day this year with a gesture of support for our military servicemen and women? It’s so easy to take for granted all the rights and freedoms we enjoy in the United States of America and to forget about our military, committed to protecting us 24/7, 365 days a year. Take this opportunity to let them know you appreciate their sacrifices, great and small. 

Based in the San Fernando Valley, Operation Gratitude was founded by Carolyn Blashek. Their mission is:

to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and to express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Each package contains donated product valued at ~$100 and costs the organization $11 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in March, 2003, Operation Gratitude has shipped more than 450,000 packages to American military deployed overseas.

450,000 packages. That’s a lot of beef jerky and hand sanitizer. And get this. Although sorting and inspecting items and the assemblage and shipping of the care packages is done at the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, in order to reduce overhead, all the business is conducted from Blashek’s home.

Another reputable organization is Any Soldier. In contrast to Operation Gratitude, at Any Soldier you can peruse the specific needs of individual soldiers or units then mail your care package directly to the soldiers. There’s even a search function so you can find out what items they can use most. I searched “coffee” and found 330 results. Each of those results is a soldier who acts as a distributor to anywhere from 3 to 800 others.

Here’s a video that features photographs and emails from some of the deserving recipients. Everyone always says this, but this video is worth watching until the end.

Because you’re a coffee lover, consider getting an extra pound and mailing it to a deserving member of our military. Think of how much they sacrifice everyday on our behalf and how much a simple cup of coffee could brighten their morning overseas. It won't get there before the Fourth, but as you know, coffee fans like coffee on non-holidays, too.

Or, if you’d rather, the item requested most often by the troops is a plain old letter. Simple acknowledgement of their efforts can have a profound impact on morale--yours and theirs.

Have a happy 4th of July.

To donate items to Operation Gratitude

Operation Gratitude Volunteer Schedule   

Operation Gratitude FAQ

To find out who needs what at Any Soldier

Any Soldier FAQ
 

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If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Support From Home Blend, or these articles by National Defense Examiner Roy Robison: The top 5 celebrity military supporters and the subsequent Rounding out the top ten celebrity military supporters.