Operation Shoebox in the Villages, Florida
Operation Shoebox is a 501 (C) 3 Nonprofit whose mission is to provide support to our troops deployed outside of the United States. Our care packages are filled with requested items from our troops to help them get through their deployment but more importantly to let them know they are thought of and cared about. This could come in the form of coffee, socks, hygiene items and letters of encouragement. We appreciate our men and women who serve our country and are committed to serving those that serve us.
OSBTV must absorb and pay all shipping costs and this can be as much as $10,000+ per month. To that end, OSBTV uses the following fund-raisers:
- Bingo the first Monday of each month
- Chinese Auctions
- Various dances with live bands
- Etc
Note: This is not the main website for Operation Shoebox. This site features the part where volunteers create and pack the packages that are sent to the deployed troops. The main site can be found at https://operationshoebox.com
Example below of a typical bag for our troops with contents displayed also.
To see the heart behind our mission and why we need your support,
please take a moment to watch the following video by clicking on the button below:
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Furniture Store
5940 SE Hames Road
Belleview, FL 34420
Tuesday – Friday
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Thrift Store
8360 East Highway 25
Belleview, FL 34420
Tuesday – Friday
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
This space is reserved for a future list of items that are approved for packing under Customs regulations.
With the new Customs rules and regulations, EVERY box is supposed to have the exact same content, the exact same weight. Officials might choose to X-ray the boxes, and their contents. All have to look the same. It sounds insane, and it hasn’t been easy. It may be January before we have time to plot it all out.
Operation Shoebox Christmas Writing Table
Captain: Bernadette and Eddie Flanagan. The Christmas Writing Table is a very important part of Operation Shoebox, as is every table at Lake Miona. Each table is like the spoke of a wheel, and the wheel could not be whole without all of us.
At the Christmas Writing Table, we take new or used Christmas cards, cut off the parts with a paper cutter, decorate the blank side of the part with an American flag, an Operation Shoebox sticker, and some Christmas decorations. Then…
Several of our table members write on the blank cards a letter of love and support to our soldiers all around the world. The letters will celebrate their heroism, how much they are missed, and how we want them to come home safe and sound. The cards are signed by the table members so that the soldiers can write back, and many do. Our Table Captain Bernie has five scrapbooks from soldiers who have written back to us.
The final thing we do is attach a star from an American flag with a saying on the back stating that even though I can no longer fly, this star will always be a reminder that you are not forgotten.
When we get 1000 cards we put them in a box to be sorted and placed in the toe of a Christmas stocking made by our wonderful sewers.
Come to Operation Shoebox. We meet each Monday at Lake Miona Recreation Center. Every table is amazing, and we are so glad to do our part.
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