FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OPERATION YELLOW RIBBON TO WIND DOWN CARE PACKAGE OPERATIONS

It is with a heavy heart but yet one filled with utter gratitude that all-volunteer 501c3 non-profit Operation Yellow Ribbon will be winding down its “morale boosting care package business” operations over the months to come.

The heavy heart is because we know that our brave US Service Members deployed to the Middle East and fighting the war on terror still need love and support from home but we are no longer able to keep up with the demand for care packages coupled with the constant rising price of everything including purchasing care package items, USPS postage, rent and insurance.

Our hearts are filled with total gratitude thanks to the literally thousands of people, schools, civic organizations, places of worship, local and national businesses and corporations that have helped us serve those that serve our great country in so many capacities. Whether you helped us with financial donations, ran your own care package item donation drive, helped spread the word of our fundraisers and events, or anything and everything in between; it’s impossible to express our gratitude with pen to paper here today. Truly. Thank you.

For now, we will stay open as a 501c3 non-profit just in case a miracle blessing of a very large financial donation happens to keep us shipping or to make things easier if we decide to ship again in the future. Volunteers from Operation Yellow Ribbon will continue to surprise and welcome home our returning local South Jersey service members along with the Warriors Watch Riders and other Patriotic motorcycle groups, local towns and First Responders as nothing will be changing in partnering to coordinate and facilitate “rock star, surprise” welcome home celebrations.

There is no way to possibly thank everyone who has helped over the almost 15 years Operation Yellow Ribbon has been in the morale boosting, care package business (and almost 20 years when we include our predecessor; The Yellow Ribbon Club who we have to acknowledge for setting the stage and teaching us the way to be so successful). Fortunately for us; there are just too many to thank so to make sure we don’t miss anyone; we thank you all as we are beyond blessed for such amazing support over the years.

It has been quite a ride. We made some amazing connections and relationships. Friendships forged that will last a lifetime. We had to say goodbye to some friends and loved ones as well along the way where they were instrumental in our success and we miss them dearly. Since 2012, Operation Yellow Ribbon has shipped almost 700,000 lbs of goodies and hygiene items that we take for granted here at home to countries in the Middle East where these items are not easy to access. From being honored by the Red Cross in 2014, to winning the “WaWa Hero Award” on the steps of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on the 4^th of July, 2017 to being featured on national television on the Today Show in 2020; to the countless emails, handwritten letters, US flags and challenge coins we have received from our care package recipients…..it has truly been an honor to have been able to do what we have accomplished over the years.

Although we no longer have “boots on the ground” as we did not long ago such as in Iraq and Afghanistan where now we do not hear much in the news anymore about current events affecting our deployed US Service Members; it cannot be lost on us that countless US Service Members continue to make tremendous sacrifices with their deployments where the need is still constant to boost morale of these brave Heroes and She-roes.

There will come a time where we will no longer be accepting any financial donations and will return them if we receive anything after that time has come. After we are finished with sending our last care packages and finalizing our operational expenses for 2025; whatever funds we have left will be kept to keep our lights for operating expenses to continue the welcome home celebrations. Eventually we will pass along remaining funds as much as possible among other worthy charities that we are fond of and we kindly ask you to consider supporting them going forward and consistently as we believe they are just amazing (and in no particular order):

Woods N Water: https://woodsnwater.org/