Operation Gift Cards, an all volunteer group, has organized the delivery of over $1,147,500 in Post Exchange Service gift cards (for the military department store) and corporate donations to the wounded troops at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Hospital in Bethesda, MD during 137 monthly/bimonthly visits during the past 11 years.
Shelton has provided more participants for the visits to Walter Reed, has provided more volunteers for the program, and has had the largest number of co-sponsoring organizations (out of 71 co-sponsoring organizations) than any other city in Connecticut.
The program has 71 organizations or individuals who have become co-sponsors to the program by purchasing either $1,000 or $500 of post exchange gift cards (in $25.00 amounts) from the Army Air Force Exchange Service and in doing so, they have the opportunity to send one representative to hand deliver their donation to the wounded troops (at the person’s own expense, which enables each organization or individual to deliver 100 percent of their donation to the wounded troops.)
Smaller donations (of any amount) are collected until the amount reached $1,000, then Operation Gift Cards will send a wounded warrior/disabled veteran to deliver the $1,000 in gift cards (which is therapeutic to the veteran).
Operation Gift Cards has received the following awards/special recognition: 6 national, 17 statewide, 4 military, and 4 regional/local awards. The majority of the awards were presented by 5 of the largest national veterans organizations.
The Red Cross produced a 3 minute video describing Operation Gift Cards:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-Gift-Cards/348033711897771
For additional information email [email protected]
