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BJ's Wholesale Club Collects More Than 100,000 Letters for Deployed U.S. Service Members

BJ's partnered with nonprofit Operation Gratitude(R) for month-long letter writing campaign

BJ's Wholesale Club Collects More Than 100,000 Letters for Deployed U.S. Service Members

BJ's partnered with nonprofit Operation Gratitude(R) for month-long letter writing campaign

Published 06-17-10

Submitted by BJ's Wholesale Club

General Manager Bill Sikora of the BJ's Wholesale Club in Boynton Beach, FL, and Founder and President Carolyn Blashek of Operation Gratitude wheel out the last collection of letters from May's Military Appreciation Month Letter Writing Campaign

BJ's Wholesale Club and the nonprofit Operation Gratitude® announced today that they have collected 108,816 letters for deployed troops throughout May in celebration of Military Appreciation Month. The letters will be included in care packages distributed to individual U.S. Service Members through Operation Gratitude. BJ's Charitable Foundation will also donate $50,000 to the nonprofit to help defray the cost of shipping care packages.

"BJ's Wholesale Club is extremely proud of the tremendous response from our club members, team members and Operation Gratitude, who together collected more than 100,000 letters," said Laura Sen, President and CEO of BJ's Wholesale Club. "We are deeply pleased that so many U.S. Service Members will receive personal letters showing our sincere thanks and admiration."

BJ's challenged the communities in which it has clubs to write personal letters for deployed troops throughout May. BJ's Members, Team Members and local community organizations collected 71,031 letters and Operation Gratitude volunteers contributed another 37,785. Letters were dropped in the Operation Gratitude mailbox at any BJ's Club, submitted online via BJ's Facebook page or mailed directly to the nonprofit. BJ's Charitable Foundation additionally pledged to donate $1 for every letter received, up to $50,000, for Operation Gratitude.

"This is the largest collection of letters we have ever received at one time! Every care package that we send for the rest of the year will have at least two letters from the BJ's Letter Writing campaign," said Carolyn Blashek, Founder and President of Operation Gratitude. "We are grateful for the support from BJ's Wholesale Club, its local communities, their members and our volunteers. U.S. Service Members who receive our care packages tell me that they cherish personal letters and keep them close to their hearts -- both in combat and when they return home. These personal letters will lift morale and put many smiles on the faces of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed overseas."

Operation Gratitude is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that annually sends more than 100,000 care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individual U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions.

About BJ's Wholesale Club
BJ's is dedicated to providing members with high-quality, brand-name food and merchandise at prices that are significantly lower than supermarkets, supercenters, department stores, drug stores and specialty retail stores. BJ's carries the most product variety of any wholesale club with more than 7,000 items, including supermarket-sized staples, USDA Choice meats and stock-up items. BJ's is the only wholesale club to accept all manufacturers' coupons and for greater convenience, offers the most payment options including EBT.

Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States. The Company currently operates 189 clubs and 105 gas stations in 15 eastern states. Learn more and shop online at BJs.com or for exclusive content visit Facebook.com/bjswholesaleclub and Twitter.com/bjswholesale.

About BJ's Charitable Foundation
BJ's Charitable Foundation was established with the mission to enrich every community BJ's Wholesale Clubs serve. The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that primarily benefit the underprivileged in the area of basic needs (hunger prevention, self sufficiency, education and health). For more information about BJ's Charitable Foundation please visit, www.bjs.com/charity.

About Operation Gratitude
Operation Gratitude (www.OperationGratitude.com) is the 501 (c) (3) non-profit, volunteer-based organization that annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individual U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions. Our mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Each package contains donated product valued at ~$125 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude has shipped more than 520,000 packages to American Military deployed overseas.

BJ's Wholesale Club logo

BJ's Wholesale Club

BJ's Wholesale Club

About BJ's Wholesale Club

Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 207 clubs in 15 states.

BJ’s provides a one-stop shopping destination filled with more top-quality, leading brands including its exclusive Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen brands, which are all backed by BJ’s 100% money-back guarantee; more fresh foods from USDA Choice meats to premium produce to delicious organics in many supermarket sizes; and more great value and amazing savings every day. BJ’s is also the only membership club to accept all manufacturers' coupons and for greater convenience offers the most payment options.

Giving back has always been at the very core of BJ’s culture, too. Through local clubs, volunteerism, BJ’s Feeding Communities and BJ’s Charitable Foundation, the company supports and enhances programs that provide vital services within each community it serves. Additionally, BJ’s is focused on preserving the Earth for future generations through a wide array of responsible sourcing and sustainability efforts. For more information, visit www.bjs.com/community.

To check out all the MORE BJ’s has to offer, visit www.bjs.com and for exclusive content find us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

About BJ’s Charitable Foundation

BJ’s Charitable Foundation was established with the mission to enrich every community BJ’s Wholesale Clubs serve. The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that primarily benefit the underprivileged in the areas of hunger prevention and education. To learn more, visit www.bjs.com/charity.

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