"Our ability to forward relief efforts is directly dependent on the generosity of individuals and companies that step up to the plate and give right now.” -Richard Walden, OpUSA CEO & President
LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) May 03, 2020
Operation USA, a Los Angeles-based international relief agency, today announced the launch of a #GivingTuesdayNow campaign aimed at raising much-needed funding for COVID-19 response and relief efforts. Donations to the campaign will enable the organization to further provide both financial and in-kind recovery aid as needed to affected communities, delivering material aid to essential workers and getting funds to vital community-based organizations.
As nonprofits grapple with a sector-wide decline in donations alongside a major increase in needs due to the ongoing pandemic, the #GivingTuesdayNow movement—celebrated on May 5, 2020— comes as a welcome opportunity for groups dependent on donations from the public to rouse donor energy and drive donations to causes worthy of public attention at this time.
Operation USA has aided COVID-19 response efforts since the earliest days, and to date has distributed tens of thousands of masks, gloves, gowns and face shields to partners in the Los Angeles area. The organization has also secured donations of hand sanitizer, bottled water, oral rehydration product, non-medical masks and other materials to be distributed to partners supporting our community’s most vulnerable residents, and has distributed small grants to partners bolstering food security and supporting at-risk youths. The organization is now calling for donations to support additional relief efforts.
“We are going through a very unsettling and unprecedented experience, not just in the U.S., but globally, that calls for urgent action,” said Richard Walden, President and CEO. “Operation USA has been responding to disasters for more than forty years. We’ve leveraged that experience and the connections we’ve built over the years to get protective gear out the door quickly to front line workers, and are proud of the work we’ve already done here in our local community. Now, we need to scale up and get as much funding as possible out to the people who are suffering the most. Our ability—and that of our counterparts--to forward that effort is directly dependent on the generosity of individuals and companies that step up to the plate and give right now.”
Operation USA is working diligently to connect with community-based partners—including hospitals and clinics, food banks and feeding programs, and service providers supporting youths, the elderly, veterans and Native American tribes—demonstrating the highest need for support. The agency will distribute cash grants as much as funding allows and as soon as possible. The public’s support will be crucial to these efforts.
OpUSA is also seeking bulk donations of relief-appropriate supplies—especially personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies—from corporate partners at this time.
Learn more about OpUSA’s #GivingTuesdayNow campaign and donate at https://give.opusa.org/covid19.
HOW TO HELP:
Donations to Operation USA will be allocated directly to COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts.
Donate online at give.opusa.org/covid19, by phone at 323.413.2353, or by check made out to Operation USA, PO BOX 36188, Los Angeles, CA 90036-0188.
Corporate partners should contact the organization at info@opusa.org.
About OPERATION USA:
Founded in 1979, Operation USA supports health and education programs in order to help children and families at home and abroad recover from disasters. Focusing on under-served and overlooked communities, and working with partners around the world, OpUSA empowers communities to recover, build resiliency and thrive. Learn more at http://www.opusa.org.
PRESS CONTACT:
Mary Dolan
Operation USA
mdolan@opusa.org