FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 2008 – The season of giving is always in for Operation Gratitude, but never more so than during one of the group’s Holiday Drive Assembly Days held November 15, 2008 at the California Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys. On that bright, beautiful day, more than 700 Operation Gratitude volunteers were working together to create more than 8,000 care packages to ship to the men and women of the U.S. military serving overseas. In support of this important mission, Buckhorn, a manufacturer of reusable plastic containers and pallets for material handling, was proud to be a corporate sponsor and a key part in making the group’s package assembly operations easier.

“The Buckhorn containers are invaluable to our operation’s organization and assembling capabilities,” said Carolyn Blashek, founder of Operation Gratitude. “There are many organizations that support our troops in a variety of ways. To the best of my knowledge, none have the ability to send the large number of packages to individually addressed service members such as Operation Gratitude. And due to the extreme generosity of our corporate sponsors, the volume of donated products makes the Buckhorn containers highly important to our efforts.”

Operation Gratitude, a California-based non-profit, all-volunteer organization, annually sends more than 100,000 care packages to individually named U.S. service members deployed in hostile regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and on military ships at sea. Operation Gratitude assembles packages during two drives each year – the Patriotic Drive, held May-June and the Holiday Drive, held October-December – and ships packages year-round.

Buckhorn, based in Milford, Ohio, learned of the project through one of its sales managers, and this year donated more than 100 plastic Collapsible Bulk Containers and hand-held Attached Lid Containers. The heavy-duty plastic containers, which are normally used for shipping items such as appliance parts to assembly lines or delivering produce to the retail shelf, were put into service to help improve logistics and protection of the donated products during the Assembly Day. The containers replaced numerous cardboard boxes in storage and assembly operations, improving efficiency for the volunteers creating the care packages while at the same time helping to eliminate truckloads of cardboard waste from being sent to landfills.

With over 100 corporate sponsors contributing a wide range of items, logistics and protection became a big problem. Cardboard boxes did not hold up well to moisture and other contaminants in warehouses, and removal of truckloads of cardboard waste was becoming a logistical nightmare. Those were problems Buckhorn could easily solve.

“Buckhorn is extremely pleased to support Operation Gratitude's mission to get care packages delivered to our men and women serving in some of the most dangerous regions of the world,” said Joel Grant, Buckhorn’s managing director. “We highly value everyone in our military services and trust our contribution will make it easier for Operation Gratitude to show our nation’s appreciation for their service.”

On this Assembly Day, Buckhorn’s 4845 Collapsible Bulk Containers (each measures 48"L x 45"W x 34"H and hold more than 2,000 lbs.) and Attached Lid Containers (each measures 21"L x 15"W x 12"H and holds up to 60 lbs.) were used by the volunteers to create an assembly line for the more than 8,000 care packages produced. The containers were filled with various products, which were then picked and placed into the special Operation Gratitude shipping boxes from the U.S Postal Service (USPS) and shipped via USPS Priority Mail. When completed, the contents of the care packages include a wide variety of items, including clothing, toiletries, batteries, CDs, snack foods and energy drinks, as well as cards and letters from family members, friends and other caring individuals. According to Operation Gratitude, cough drops and fabric softener are among the most popular care package items requested.

“I was honestly amazed by the logistical precision in which they operate,” said Kirk Pinto, district sales manager from Buckhorn who attended the event. “When I arrived, I was approached by several of the volunteers who wanted to share with me just how much of a difference our containers have made to the program. With better organization of the assembly line, they were achieving great results – more 16 packages per minute, 960 per hour, over an eight-hour period. There are major manufacturing operations that don’t show that kind of throughput!”

Operation Gratitude will assemble and ship more than 70,000 care packages over the next several weeks to bring a bit of home to U.S. military personnel this holiday season. The group operates with more than 6,000 volunteers in Southern California, and tens of thousands across the nation who organize collection drives and fundraisers.

The payoff for these efforts comes in the reaction from the soldiers the group and its sponsors and contributors are helping. One theme that runs through the letters coming back from the military is how surprised and appreciative the troops are that total strangers have taken the time to show they care. Operation Gratitude is unique among military support agencies in sending such a large volume of packages each addressed to a specific individual. As one Soldier exclaimed: “Want to know what really grabbed me when I got my package? It was addressed to me. My name was on the box. It wasn't just a box. It was my box. I wasn't just any soldier, I was somebody. I am somebody.”

Operation Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that sends care packages and letters to individually named U.S. troops deployed in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Korea and on military ships all over the world. Operation Gratitude was founded in March 2003 by Carolyn Blashek to support U.S. troops serving in some of the world's harshest locations and is funded entirely by private donations and staffed exclusively by volunteers. Its mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and to express to all troops the appreciation and support of the American people. For safety and security, the assembling of care packages occurs at the California Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, CA. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude has delivered more than 300,000 packages to American troops stationed overseas. Visit www.OperationGratitude.com to learn more.

Buckhorn Inc. is a North American leader in reusable plastic container and pallet systems for material handling. Buckhorn products meet product shipping, handling and storage needs in manufacturing, distribution and food industries – replacing expendable cardboard containers and wooden pallets to improve product protection, increase productivity, reduce costs and eliminate waste in supply chains. Based in Milford, Ohio, Buckhorn has manufacturing facilities in Springfield, Missouri; Shelbyville, Kentucky; and Bluffton, Indiana. A Myers Industries, Inc. company (NYSE: MYE), Buckhorn is part of Myers' North American Material Handling Segment, which also includes Akro-Mils® plastic storage, organization and transport products. Visit www.buckhorninc.com to learn more.

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