Offices Throughout Center City Collecting Donations On Operation Gratitude Day
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Today is Operation Gratitude Day and more than a dozen offices in Center City are accepting donations for care packages that will be shipped out to the troops and their families.
Operation Gratitude is a non-profit that gives Americans a way to say "thank you" to the military men and women fighting over seas.
"We send care packages going out to service members deployed in hostile regions, to military families in need, wounded warriors recovering in transition units," says Dana Chotiner who works for the west-coast based organization. She says Operation Gratitude's care packages, as well as the letters of gratitude that are included, help lift moral for troops who need it.
"You can imagine a 27-year-old over in Afghanistan opening a package," she says. "He sees a letter from someone from over in Texas and maybe he's from Texas."
Chotiner says Operation Gratitude needs letters of appreciation, socks, hats, scarves (no bright colors) toiletries, CDs, electronics, gift cards and more to include in packages. They'll also take monetary donations.
"It costs us about $15 to send each care package," says Chotiner. "We do between 100,000 and 150,000 care packages every year. And on December 7th we're going to hit our one millionth care package!"
You can help by donating today between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. at anyone of these 18 Center City locations:
1515 Market Street
1650 Arch Street
1234 Market Street
1835 Market Street
1900 Market Street
Cira Center - 2929 Arch Street
Wanamaker Building
One Logan Square
1735 Market Street
1601 Market Street
1700 Market Street
CBS Radio - 400 Market Street
One Commerce Square - 2005 Market Street
1600 Market Street
Ten Penn Center - 1801 Market Street
Centre Square - 1500 Market Street
United Plaza - 30 South 17th Street
Two Liberty Place - 50 S. 16th Street
For more information on Operation Gratitude Day, visit OpGratDay.com.
Follow Cherri Gregg on Twitter @CherriGregg.
