SEMINOLE, Fla. - — A Seminole High School Senior is making a big difference in the lives of thousands of veterans. Graci Tubb’s Operation Military Matters has now helped 10,000 veterans by sending them care packages with personalized thank-you notes.
Graci Tubbs started sending care packages to military men and women overseas in November 2015. At that time, she was in fourth grade. What started as a class project grew into a mission fueled by love and appreciation.
Operation Military Matters (OMM) eventually grew into a nonprofit. Tubbs has now sent more than 10,000 care packages to military men and women serving across the entire world.
Graci's inspiration came from attending a Veterans Day Assembly, where she heard veterans speak about their service and sacrifice. Graci decided that day to show her love and support to those deployed.
“My family has always been surrounded by military. After that Veteran’s Day assembly where the veterans explained that they didn’t feel appreciated overseas, that stuck with me as a little girl. Knowing that they didn’t always feel appreciated, I had to do something about it,” Tubbs added.
Tubbs first care package packing event started with 20 boxes. That’s substantial when you consider she’s now packed 10,000 alongside her loyal volunteers. “It’s stuff that gives them a sense of home. Just knowing that hands from home have touched it, makes an impact,” Tubbs added.
Each care package costs around $25 and contains snacks, toiletries, and games. Many businesses have also shown support by organizing packing parties. The 17-year-old high school student has been recognized on local, state, and national levels, including receiving the prestigious President's Volunteer Award in 2019.
Operation Military Matters has received countless letters and photos from military men and women grateful for the support they received from Tubbs.
In honor of Veteran’s Day, Tubbs and her classmates at Seminole High School’s Center for Education and Leadership packed up several boxes to be sent out to the next group of military leaders.
Tubbs even hosted a special guest packer at her most recent event, Air Force Reservist William Lawson, Jr., who received care package #2,000 in 2019 while deployed.
“She (Graci Tubbs) is Heaven sent,” Lawson said while remembering the day he received his box. “I was deployed, and mail call means everything. My name was called, and I saw the box, and inside the box was a teddy bear and other items. To see a package from a total stranger it’s just overwhelming. You can’t really describe it. We need more people like Graci,” Lawson said with enthusiasm.
You can read more about Operation Military Matters here: https://operationmilitarymatters.com/
