2012 TOY DRIVE DONATIONS

*The Liberal Club, Fall River, MA on November 4th from 1-5pm*
*Massachusetts State House, November 11th – November 30th*
*Fall River City Hall, November 15th – December 14th*

2012 SANTA SHOPS (toy giveaway)

REGISTER at info@militaryfriends.org with your name and children’s ages and gender or call (617) 733-7994.

Volunteers are welcome and can show up at 9:15am.  Please call (617) 733-7994 for more information

*Dwelly Street Armory, 1089 Dwelly St., Fall River, MA on December 1st 10:00am-1pm*
*Memorial Hall, 150 Concord St., Framingham, MA on December 2nd 10:00am-1pm*
*VA Brockton, Building 22 on December 16th 10:00am-1pm*

Operation Military Smiles – a Military Friends Foundation project - was founded in 2010 by a group of Massachusetts families whose children lost their lives while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This year OMS is hoping to collect to 10,000 toys for the children and grandchildren of our local veterans and military families. The toys will be made available at three mobile OMS “Santa Shops” across the state. We currently have a shortage of toys for boys and girls ages 12-16.

Operation Military Smiles was the vision of Paul and Carlene Barrett, parents of SGT Robert J. Barrett of Fall River.  According to his parents, Robert’s view of life was to always “pay it forward,” by giving back to others.  While in Afghanistan he asked family and friends to send over toys for children in a local orphanage.  SGT Robert Barrett, age 20, was killed by an IED in Afghanistan in April 2010.

The Military Friends Foundation, 501(c)3 has partnered with numerous families to create the Operation Military Smiles program. The purpose of the program is to put a little extra “smile” into the lives of local service members and their families through yearly toy drives to ensure that military families and veterans of all eras. Operation Military Smiles hosts toy drives across the state each year and toys and gift cards are then made available for families at a traveling Operation Military Smiles Santa Shop.  Last holiday season, Operation Military Smiles donated over 5,000 toys and thousands of dollars of gift cards to military families in need.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

1) Start a toy & gift card collection! – Want to Join the OMS Team? It’s as easy as setting up a donation box in your office, school or local business. We will provide a custom e-poster for your company, tax deduction information, and collect your donations the week of November 26, 2012.

2) Volunteer at an OMS Santa Shop – This is a great way for any company to give back during the holiday season.  OMS also welcomes any Gold and Survivor Families to come out and enjoy a day of friendship and celebration as we bring smiles to military families.  Call us to find out where the 2012 Santa Shops will be located.

3) Consider a donation – Make a donation via Paypal at www.militaryfriends.org/donate or send a check to Military Friends Foundation, 14 Beacon Street, Suite #706, Boston, MA 02108.  All donations are tax deductable and checks should be made out to “Military Friends Foundation OMS”.

FOR VETERANS SERVICE OFFICERS – FLYER INVITE FOR VETERANS:

Click here for a pdf  invite to share with your Veterans