Nearly 500 Best Buy employees came out in full force last Friday to fill more than 5,000 individual care packages for military men and women deployed overseas. Forty-three active members of the 133rd Airlift Wing, a unit of the Minnesota Air National Guard, also participated.
The packages contain everything from snacks to Bluetooth speakers to letters and drawings from kids, all donated by Best Buy employees during October. The company donated some items, too, such as Insignia headphones and portable battery chargers. The goal is to lift the spirits of U.S. service members who aren’t able to be with family during the holiday season.
The packing event is just one piece of Operation Patriotic Endeavor, Best Buy’s annual drive honoring those who put their lives on the line for our country every day. The program was started in 2011 by the Best Buy Military Employee Business Network.
Best Buy will send the packages to Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization, which will then mail them to service members across the globe. Operation Gratitude sends more than 100,000 packages to deployed military members each year.