Starting as a small gathering of friends, Operation We Care now ships more than 1,000 care packages a year.
Each of these packages, carefully filled with local love and effort, goes to a Delmarva resident serving our country in the US Military while deployed in harms way. The non-profit organization rallies around two times of the year: Novembers Veteran's Day and Armed Forces Day in May.
A year ago, the November effort was extraordinary. As the dust settled, 800 packages were set to launch, funneled through the 71st. Street Post Office in Ocean City, as they have since the project began more than 9,000 boxes ago in 2007. Every box goes through the hands of Pam Hammond, an employee of the USPS and one of the original volunteers of the project.
The 800 boxes, using the USPS's military flat-rate option, costs just under $12,000 to ship for the holidays. Monetary donations to Operation We Care are used for postage and ensures it's arrival before the holidays. Most are delivered before Thanksgiving.
Operation We Care began small in 2007, and the project quickly widened its scope to include members of the community and became a non-profit organization led by event organizer Jeff Merritt and his extremely understanding wife, Diana.
Operation We Care has organized trips to both Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Navy Medical Center before and after they merged, as well as working with the local veterans' homeless shelter and even organizing a motorcycle welcome home escort for the Salisbury-based 218th MP Unit.
The Merritts and several of the OWC volunteers also work with projects at two American Legions, including the post in Sharptown, that brings our wounded warriors down from Walter Reed for a weekend of hunting and inter-generational bonding each fall.
OWC volunteers also assist in the Marine Corps Reserve's Toys For Tots motorcycle ride held each October.
Before the first item was placed in the boxes supplied by the USPS, the inside panels were decorated. While volunteers at the event puzzled over a few, most were expertly decorated by children of all ages, from civic groups, churches and elementary schools within a 50 mile radius.
For more information on Operation We Care, visit www.operationwecare.org or find us on Facebook.
Operation We Care
During our shows and events there are opportunities for raffle items.
To support Operation We Care the list of items below are
items they ship overseas to our troops.
For every item you bring, you will receive one raffle ticket.
Baby wipes
Body Wash
Granola Bars
Lip Balm
Chef Boyardee Pasta - 15 oz cans
Hot Chocolate Packets
Deck of Playing Cards
Dental Floss
Deodorant - Non-aerosol
Disposable Razors
Gum/Breath Mints
Ink Pens
Instant Oatmeal
Microwave Popcorn
Pop Tarts
Powdered Drink Mixes
Ramen Noodles (brick style not cups)
Shampoo
Small Personal Kleenex
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste