GOAL IS TO DELIVER SUPPORT TO 300,000 MILITARY MEMBERS

IRVINE, CALIF - The California State Legislature and Yellow Ribbon America have launched its fifth annual Operation Christmas for Our Troops and Their Families, a statewide and national non-partisan holiday effort to give support to America’s deployed and at home military members and their families. The effort, which supports the National Guard, Reserve and Active
Duty deployed and at home military members and their families, began in November 2004 and has grown every year since. It is not just the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard members that are affected when they are deployed and away from home but also the families who are left behind. According to the Pentagon, this is the largest Christmas Holiday effort for both our nation’s military and their families.

Over the last four years with the help of thousands of our fellow Californians, Operation Christmas for Our Troops and Their Families has collected over 247,000 donated items such as food for various Unit Christmas parties, bikes, toys, DVDs, games, all types of gift cards as well as financial donations for military families in need and for the Family Readiness programs offered by all branches of service in California’s National Guard, Reserve and Active Duty Components.

This year our statewide goal is to deliver Christmas community support to over 300,000 of California, Arizona and Nevada’s military members and their families here at home and serving throughout the world. Through the generous donations from all of California’s communities we will be able to give gifts to military families especially the children of America’s military to help
them through the emotional difficulties of the holidays while their loved ones are far from home. “Operation Christmas for Our Troops V” will provide support from local communities, which helps bring all Americans together to support their local military and their families. Locals Helping Locals — local businesses, residents, churches and community groups focusing their
resources on helping their military members and their families located in their own community. That’s what the Yellow Ribbon America (YRA) Campaign is all about.

Because the Christmas shopping list is so large, Yellow Ribbon America, which manages the volunteer effort and project coordination, is already in FULL-TIME Community Outreach mode for Operation Christmas for Troops & their Families V. They have been doing events from Sacramento to San Diego with our YRA volunteers, local California Troops and their families generating support for the military units, families and those who have emergency needs.

For more information on how to participate or donate, visit http://www.yellowribbonamerica.org.

On behalf of Yellow Ribbon America and the California State Legislature we wish to thank you for being part of the largest Christmas Holiday Community outreach effort in the nation for both America’s military members and their families.

Brad White
Chief Elf

Also Submitted By: LTC Tom Lasser, USA (RET)

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