After volunteering with Operation Gratitude (a military care package organization) for several years Marsha Roseman and Joan Rimmon were approached by its founder, Carolyn Blashek, to reach out to Jewish Service Members by sending packages which provide Jewish holiday items to deployed Jewish military personnel.

  Marsha and Joan contacted chaplains who advised how many boxes they would need for their particular units. Project M.O.T., with a growing crew of volunteers, sent its first batch of 9 Passover boxes for 20 personnel in 2008. By Rosh Hashanah, we had enough names and items to send 27 packages and at Hanukkah we sent 45 boxes.  Skip forward to 2011 when we sent 285 for Pesach.

  Project M.O.T. care packages contain a variety of items, including Jewish music CDs, Hanukiyot, seder plates, haggadot, blank greeting cards and special foods appropriate for each holiday, prayer books, kippot, and most important letters. We collect letters from the whole Jewish community across the United States  including  from Hebrew and day school students as well as adults. We also send fun items, such as puzzle and game books.

  Our goal is to brighten the lives of those far away from their families during their deployments and bring a little taste of home to them.

Some other web sites where you can find ways to help our Jewish service men and women and the troops in general, include:

http://www.operationgratitude.com

http://www.mrslieutenant.blogspot.com/
www.operationsupportjewsinthemilitary.com/blog

http://www.jewsingreen.com/

The following link will take you to an interview by Rabbi Barbara Aiello, "The Radio Rabbi Program" WGUL AM 860 in Tampa and podcast each week on www.rabbibarbara.com  with Joan Rimmon about Project M.O.T. and Operation Gratitude:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yourmilitarylife/2009/04/21/Operation-Gratitude

Center menorah made by friends of Devorah Lamm as a mitvah project on her becoming a bat mitzvah.

Troops, civilian contractors and rabbi receive boxes for Rosh Hashanah in Afghanistan.

Our esteemed list of donors includes:

Rabbi Barbara Aiello and the senior residents of the Kobernick House and Anchin Pavilion, Sarasota, FL.

The students of Beth Jacob Congregation/Hillel Academy, Beverly Hills, CA.

Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude, Encino, CA

Craig & Co., Craig Taubman, North Hollywood, CA

Ruth Devine and the Women’s League, and the students of Temple Adat Ari El, North Hollywood, CA.

Jewish War Veterans, Edwin D. Klein Post 138, Van Nuys, CA.

Congregation Shir Ami, Woodland Hills, CA. and Esther Perez.

Michelle Sapper and her Mah Jong group.

Mira Baum, her family and Bat Mitzvah guests.

The Students of New Community Jewish High School, West Hills, CA.

The Students of Jewish Community High School of Gratz College, PA.

Temple Menorah, Redondo Beach, CA.

Tradition Foods, Los Angeles, CA.

JewishEverything.com

And many individuals.