Ashley Briones

30 May 2012
Community Service
Operation Gratitude
17330 Victory Boulevard Van Nuys, CA 91406
262-674-7281
Operation Gratitude
I did a program called Operation Gratitude, which creates care packages for the soldiers overseas
and sends them toiletries, CDs, snacks, and other things that may remind them of home and/or comfort
them. When they are stationed somewhere, they can get really homesick and even small items that remind
them of the comforts waiting for them or even that take their minds off all the fighting and death for a
second can brighten their mood. I really like this organization because it started at the grassroots level,
with the creator just sending out packages from the living room of her house. It showed me that one
person really can make a difference, as long as you have dedication and a cause. Additionally, once you
get to the building warehouse, you can pick what you would like to do and independently work. For
example, you can choose to fill boxes, push boxes, label the boxes, set up the mailing forms, or carry the
boxes to the packaging areas. The variety allowed for change as your arms got tired from carrying or as
your legs fell asleep from sitting for so long. There is not much I did not like about this organization
except that the overflow of volunteers that sometimes led to crowds of people standing around, not able to
do anything. Luckily, this just shows how awesome this charity is, since so many people know about it
and want to be involved with the wonderful things it is doing.
Ashley Briones completed at least 15 hours at the Operation Gratitude facility during 2 nd semester: