HACKETTSTOWN, NJ (Warren County) – Associates from Mars Wrigley Confectionery in Hackettstown and members from Operation Gratitude delivered first responder care kits on Thursday to members of the Hackettstown Police Department and Hackettstown Fire Department.
The care kits are filled with Mars Wrigley Confectionery products, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, pens and other products that were donated by individuals and companies. In 2018, Operation Gratitude will deliver more than 100,000 care kits to police, fire and EMT officers around the country.
Mars Wrigley Confectionery U.S. initiated the partnership with Operation Gratitude in 2014. Mars Associates have prepared more than 10,000 care kits for Active Duty Personnel and First Responders, featuring some of Mars’ most famous brands like M&M’S® and SKITTLES®. Starting this month, UNCLE BEN’S® products will be included in a variety of Operation Gratitude Care Packages. Care kits prepared for military personnel by Mars to date contain more than 5,000 handmade paracord survival bracelets and tens of thousands of letters written by Mars Associates. In honor of the 2,000,000th Care Package, Mars committed to donating $2,000,000 worth of Mars products by the end of 2018.
“As a Marine of 20 years, I know and have witnessed firsthand the impact that care packages and personal letters of support have on deployed service members,” said Operation Gratitude CEO, Kevin Schmiegel, a retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel. “Operation Gratitude not only uniquely touches the lives of our men and women in uniform, and their families, but also gives individuals from every walk of life a meaningful opportunity to connect with the Military and First Responder communities.”
Operation Gratitude’s mission is to lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of the Military and First Responder communities, and provide volunteer opportunities for civilians anywhere in America to express their appreciation to all who serve our nation. Each package contains donated product valued between $45 and $100 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 2,000,000 Care Packages.
For more information about Operation Gratitude, please visit operationgratitude.com.
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By: Jay Edwards Follow on Twitter | Like on Facebook
