Project Lunchbox

VIRGINIA – For many children from low-income families across the United States, school meal programs provide an essential source of food throughout the school year. Outside of school, however, these food-insecure kids may be left without a reliable meal source. With parents often working multiple jobs and still coming up short, weekends and “vacations” can be hungry times for these kids.

That’s where Project Lunchbox steps in to help. This new pilot program from Operation Blessing’s Hunger Strike Force is designed to provide these at-risk children with meals on weekends and school breaks. At the William A. Hunton YMCA in Norfolk, Virginia, where Project Lunchbox was recently launched, children attending day camps in the summer received food Monday through Friday but many of the children were going hungry over the weekends. As part of Project Lunchbox, the kids were given groceries to take home at the end of the week.

Hunger Relief for U.S. School Children

Brenda Gibbs, Senior VP/COO of the Hunton YMCA, said, “We’ve periodically had programs where we’d feed them breakfast, or maybe we will feed them lunch on weekends, but we were unable to sustain those programs over time because of the expense. … We were trying to bridge that gap, and Operation Blessing is truly a blessing.”

With the success of the Project Lunchbox pilot program, Operation Blessing hopes to expand Project Lunchbox into communities across the country. With your support, we can make sure these children have food they need to grow healthy and strong!

Volcan De Fuego

An Operation Blessing medical director helps Fuego victims.

GUATEMALA – When Volcan de Fuego, one of Central America’s most active volcanoes, erupted without warning, clouds of gray ash billowed thousands of feet into the air and a deadly pyroclastic flow sped down the mountainside. Dozens were killed, hundreds more went missing, and thousands were left displaced from their homes.

Volcano Relief for Guatemalans

Thanks to your support, Operation Blessing’s Guatemala office immediately sprang into action to bring relief to the victims of this disaster. First, OB Guatemala staff began putting together emergency aid kits containing food and hygiene supplies. In partnership with the Guatemalan Army and the Asociación Nacional de Municipalidades (ANAM), these kits were soon distributed to residents who had been evacuated to shelters.

Operation Blessing also distributed more than 1,000 respirators to firefighters and over 30,000 facemasks to area residents. These respirators and facemasks helped filter out the harmful volcanic ash that continued to fall.

In addition, OBI teams used mobile kitchens to help provide hot meals to the firefighters and first responders who were tirelessly working to rescue survivors.

It’s only through your support that these disaster response operations were made possible!

From the Field

Aiding West Japan after Devastating Floods

JAPAN – Devastating flooding in West Japan has created one of the worst natural disasters that country has faced since the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. But the ongoing, faithful support of Operation Blessing partners empowered OB Japan to rush aid to hard hit areas.

Successive heavy downpours between June and mid-July, 2018, brought over 20 inches of rain to some areas of Japan, causing flooding and landslides throughout the western part of the country. At the latest count, over 200 are dead and 21 remain missing.

Another 8 million people faced evacuations, and thousands fled to shelters. Almost 300,000 households lost their water supply, and thousands lost electricity. Hard hit areas included Hiroshima, Kurashiki, and Sukumo City. Floods have left homes destroyed, roads damaged, and essentials like food and water in short supply.

With your support, Operation Blessing Japan quickly sprang to action. Initially, they rushed much needed aid like water bottles and tools for cleaning damaged homes to shelters in the affected areas. They also began reaching out to local churches and partner organizations to plan for long term recovery efforts.

Next, in cooperation with volunteers from local churches, they set to work cleaning homes and blessing disaster victims like the Tuzame family in Kurashiki. They removed mud from their floors, walls, and cabinets, and dried their house with fans. The family was excited and grateful for the help. OB Japan also helped a farmer, Mr. Ono, whose barn had been filled with agricultural chemicals during the flooding.

As they continued their recovery efforts, they met many overwhelmed homeowners who were dazed and confused about how to even begin the recovery process. In response, OB Japan offered consultation services to provide a roadmap to recovery for those still reeling from the disaster.

The residents of West Japan have a long rebuilding process ahead of them, but thanks to your generosity, Operation Blessing can continue to stand beside them, aiding them along the way.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Four by fours delivering aid to Bedouins in the Judean Desert.

WORLDWIDE – Operation Blessing partners are speeding relief, comfort, and hope to millions around the world. Sometimes, however, getting to where the need is greatest can be an enormous challenge. Undaunted, your Operation Blessing teams use whatever mean necessary to transport food, medicine, and other essential supplies to the remotest villages and harshest disaster zones.

Here are just a few examples of the lengths Operation Blessing will go to bring your help to those in need, utilizing a diverse array of transportation methods and vehicles.

Reaching the Bedouins in the Judean Desert
Struck by drought, two Bedouin camps in the southern hills of Hebron were facing a severe food shortage. Operation Blessing enlisted the help of a local 4×4 club in Jerusalem, and soon a convoy of rugged off-road vehicles were making their way across the desert laden with supplies. In all, Operation Blessing was able to deliver enough food to supply over 800 people for an entire month.

Air lifting aid to Haiti after a hurricane.

Help from the Air in Haiti
After Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti as a category 4 storm, Operation Blessing took to the sky to bring relief, chartering a small plane to help survey the damage from the air and bring relief supplies to the badly damaged town of Jérémie. Though the tiny aircraft’s small payload only allowed about 30 extra pounds of supplies, OBI made maximum use. One case of amoxicillin, containing 144 bottles of antibiotics, accounted for 22 pounds. Eight pounds was given to two chlorine generators and the salt required to run them for one week — enough to treat 68,000 gallons of drinking water!

Elsewhere in Haiti, the remote community of Bwa Pikan was cut off from the outside world and in desperate need of relief. Thanks to partners like you, Operation Blessing secured a helicopter and loaded a cargo net with food, hygiene supplies, chlorine to disinfect water, seeds to restart crops, medical supplies, and more. In all, the helicopter made three trips from Port-au-Prince to bring these essential supplies to the people of Bwa Pikan.

Semi-trucks from OBI's Hunger Strike Force deliver food and supplies in the U.S.

Hunger Strike Force
In the United States, Operation Blessing’s Hunger Strike Force boasts a fleet of semi-trucks that are constantly transporting tons of food, hygiene items, and more to our network of food pantries and other ministries across the country. These trucks deliver millions of pounds of food to families in need each year thanks to partners like you.

Using an army truck to reach flood victims.

Driving Through Floodwaters in Louisiana
In August of 2016, prolonged rainfall caused widespread, catastrophic flooding across much of southern Louisiana. Operation Blessing’s U.S. Disaster Relief team responded immediately, but the floodwaters were still so high that many areas remained virtually inaccessible. To get through, the team enlisted the use of a massive 6X6 Army truck. The truck plowed through the floodwaters to reach isolated communities with relief supplies, including much-needed drinking water.

Motorcyles deliver aid in Mexico after an earthquake.

On Wheels and Wings in Mexico
When two powerful earthquakes rocked the nation of Mexico in a span of only 11 days, Operation Blessing partners responded immediately. In Mexico City, traffic jams clogged the city streets making in nearly impossible for OBI to deliver relief supplies and meals to those in need. So Operation Blessing used a brigade of motorcycles to infiltrate into the hardest hit areas with water and relief supplies.

To transport relief supplies to some of the hardest hit areas of southern Mexico, Operation Blessing was able to secure the use of an Aeromar cargo plane. Staff and volunteers loaded the aircraft with donated food, water, and other essential supplies.

Boats are used to deliver aid along the river in Peru.

Boats Bring Relief in Belén
The district of Belén, Peru, is built on the banks of the Itaya River. For about half the year the river overflows its banks, flooding the entire region and making small boats the only means of transportation. Operation Blessing’s local office, in the neighboring city of Iquitos, conducts a wide variety of projects in Belén, including a school nutrition program, community health worker program, medical brigades, new housing construction, microenterprises, and more. These projects require Operation Blessing staff and volunteers to frequent the water taxis that offer the easiest transportation around and across the Itaya.

Motorcyles are used to reach remote, mountain villages in Haiti.

Motocross in Haiti
In Haiti, Operation Blessing’s projects are widespread and often in remote and hard to reach areas. Roads are frequently dirt or gravel and in poor condition. Luckily, OB Haiti’s Dora Nemere is an accomplished motocross rider. She uses her motorcycle to navigate the treacherous routes in between Operation Blessing projects while having a little fun along the way!

From the Field

Getting Water to Santa Fé

hen all the streams and reservoirs dried up around the mountainside village of Santa Fé, Honduras, the villagers were left to retrieve water from stagnant pools and other temporary and unsanitary sources. Drinking this water resulted in widespread illness throughout the isolated community. Thanks to you, Operation Blessing located a source of safe water higher up the mountainside and constructed a durable network of piping to deliver that water down to the village. Then, we constructed a massive water reservoir fitted with a state-of-the-art chlorinator to ensure that the water is safe to drink. Finally, OBI ran faucets into every single home in the village so that families will no longer have to walk long distances just to access this life giving liquid. Because of your generosity, the village of Santa Fé, Honduras, will have unlimited access to safe, delicious water.

Ground Zero: Volcán de Fuego

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRdmIrCEqsk

Weeks after the eruption, many have moved on from the tragedy still unfolding in Guatemala. To date, 110 people have lost their lives and 197 are still missing. Because of your generosity, Operation Blessing is still on the ground working to help the survivors of this disaster by distributing food and hygiene kits as well as providing medicine and support to local hospitals.

A Healthy Dose of Nutrition

This beautiful salad will provide nutrition to families in Mexico.

MEXICO – It started as the response to an emergency need — families reeling from a round of earthquakes off the Pacific coast were in need of food. Because of our faithful partners, OB Mexico established mobile kitchens to help meet the immediate needs of hurting people. And the mobile food kitchens grew into a nutrition program to help families in Union Hidalgo learn better food practices to ward off health problems like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Now, Operation Blessing sponsors biweekly workshops for women in the community. Each workshop lasts for a total of four weeks and has a class size of up to 10 women. These women learn the value of nutrition and are introduced to foods and recipes to contribute to healthier eating for healthier living.

One workshop focuses entirely on the composition, nutritional value, and importance of salads. Students are challenged to create their best salads as part of a balanced diet. The results are a far cry from the fried food that comprised the majority of the community’s diet before this program started!

Many of the women participating in these workshops run local kitchens, thus transforming the community from the inside out with better cooking and eating practices. These small changes can have a big impact on the health of men, women, and children of Union Hidalgo.

Rushing Aid to Fuego Volcano Victims

GUATEMALA – On Sunday, June 3, Fuego, one of Central America’s most active volcanoes, erupted without warning. Clouds of gray ash billowed thousands of feet into the air and a deadly pyroclastic flow sped down the mountainside. At least 100 people were killed, hundreds more were missing, and thousands have been displaced from their homes.

Thanks to your support, Operation Blessing’s Guatemala office immediately sprang into action to bring relief to the victims of this disaster. First, OB Guatemala staff began putting together emergency aid kits containing food and hygiene supplies. In partnership with the Guatemalan Army and the Asociación Nacional de Municipalidades (ANAM), these kits will be distributed to residents who have been evacuated to shelters.

Operation Blessing will also be distributing 1,400 respirators to firefighters, and over 30,000 facemasks to area residents. These respirators and facemasks will help filter out the harmful volcanic ash that continues to fall. This ash can damage the lungs if breathed in, so these masks are the first line of defense to keep people safe.

In addition, OBI teams are preparing mobile kitchens to feed the firefighters and first responders who are still working to rescue survivors.

It’s only through partnership with you that these disaster response operations are made possible! Thank you for your support and we ask for your continued prayer for all those affected by Fuego’s eruption.

UPDATE JUNE 13, 2018

Over the past week and a half, thanks to our faithful partners, Operation Blessing has continued to serve Fuego Volcano victims with critical food, hygiene items, masks, medical supplies, and support for disaster workers. In addition, we have expanded our efforts to include areas like providing clean water, solar lights, medical care, and mattresses to shelters throughout the area.

We’ve also become a distribution point for partner organizations sending additional supplies and funds such as Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Blessing Mexico.

Thanks to the support of our faithful partners like you, we’ve been on the ground since day one of the tragedy, and continue to bless thousands of victims throughout the area.

A Happy Home After Hurricane Heartache

Gabe and his mom, Peggy, laugh outside their restored home.

TEXAS – Eight-year-old Gabe lived in a two-bedroom house in Texas with his mother and two older sisters, Payton and Penelope. He lives with autism, but had a safe home until Hurricane Harvey barreled through their community.

Floodwaters rushed into the humble house as the unprecedented storm dumped heavy rains on the entire region. Since the swirling waters made it impossible to evacuate on foot or by car, a boat rescued Gabe’s family. But as they floated away from their home, they didn’t know how they would recover.

Peggy is a single mother to her three children and does the best she can to provide for them. But when the hurricane hit, she had no insurance, and lacked the resources they needed to rebuild. Their local church took up an offering to purchase a portable building, similar to a shed, for the family to live in. It became the place they called home — and they were so grateful for it — but it wasn’t a permanent solution.

Once the schools reopened, Gabe and his sisters would sleep in the portable building behind their house, using the remnants of their home for the shower and restroom. Mold grew everywhere, but there was nothing they could do.

Peggy cried out to God for help, and as she did, someone nominated her for the Project 40 Program — a special partnership between Operation Blessing and Cathedral Church. Without giving Peggy and her children too many details, OBI offered to help. Little did the family know just how much work Operation Blessing partners and others would put into their house! Gabe’s family had been selected for an Extreme Blessing — a special project where Operation Blessing and partners completely restore and refurnish a home for a family in need.

Volunteers helped gut the building and hang new sheetrock. They finished the repairs and added furniture and even décor to the home without Gabe or his family having any idea just how much work they were doing.

When they were invited to return to their home, Gabe stood with his mother and sisters, excited and surprised. He held his mother’s hand as people they had never met held balloons and signs welcoming them home. Perfect strangers had come to help them in their time of need, leaving Peggy and her family with tears in their eyes.

They walked together through the joyful crowd and opened the door to their home to see what work had been completed. “It doesn’t even look like our house,” Peggy exclaimed. “Wow!” Inside, their mold-infested, dilapidated house had been completely restored! They were home again. “Thank you, Jesus,” Peggy breathed a prayer in relief as she hugged young Gabe.

“Faith will see us through,” she read from a new wall hanging in their home, “and that’s exactly what has happened.”

“I love it!” Gabe said. He jumped onto the new couch with a grin.

The family toured the house one room at a time, taking it all in with exclamations of gratitude and happy tears. Gabe’s sisters have bunk beds in their room, but he didn’t know what to expect in the room he shares with his mother.

When he opened the door, he started shouting with excitement. For the first time ever, he had his own bed. His name hung above the headboard in white letters, and as he scrambled onto the bed, he hugged the Mario toy that was waiting for him.

“This house was a wreck. I cannot believe you turned it into something so beautiful!” Peggy said after the tour, wiping away tears. “Thank y’all, and God bless y’all.”

When asked his favorite part of their new home, Gabe quickly answered, “My bed!”

Thank you, OBI partners. You made it possible for Operation Blessing — alongside long-time partner The Home Depot and grants from The Rebuild Texas Fund, Cleveland Indians Charities, MLB, and Jay & Hannah Bruce — to welcome Gabe and his family home.

Bill Horan Retires, Gordon Robertson Voted President of OBI

Bill Horan, former president of Operation Blessing, stands with new president, Gordon Robertson.

A message from Gordon Robertson:

Thank you for your dedicated support of Operation Blessing International. I deeply appreciate your compassion that reaches out to people in desperate need throughout the world.

Because you are such a good friend of this ministry, I want you to know that Bill Horan is retiring as OBI’s president. Bill has diligently served in this capacity since 2002, and we sincerely thank him for his years of faithful service. I thought you might like to see his letter of retirement. Please join me in praying that God will abundantly bless Bill as he begins this new chapter in his life.

I have had the privilege of working with Operation Blessing International over the years, and have served on the Board of Directors for OBI since 2002. I can say with great excitement that I look forward to working with you, in an even greater way in the future, as the Board of Directors has appointed me to be OBI’s new president.

When my father, Pat Robertson, founded Operation Blessing in 1978, he was inspired by the words of Isaiah 58:10-11: If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness. … The Lord will guide you continually.

Forty years later, Operation Blessing has grown into a global humanitarian organization renowned for its integrity, creativity, and efficiency. It’s amazing to see how generous partners like you have helped millions of people worldwide.

With your ongoing prayers and support, Operation Blessing will continue to be a strategic force in compassionate relief—feeding the hungry, rescuing disaster victims, and helping the needy in America and over 100 other countries. We also plan to expand our medical outreaches in places like Africa, where millions of people living in poverty have no health care, doctors, or surgeons.

The need is great—yet as we trust the Lord, He will fulfill His promise to guide us continually.

Thank you for your faithful support, and may God bless you.

Sincerely in Christ,

Gordon P. Robertson