Twenty-eight-year-old Jose watched as the blaze of the Los Angeles fires earlier this year left destruction and ash in their wake. While his house remained standing, his business was entirely destroyed, and Jose did not know what the future held for his young family.
In the aftermath of such an unimaginable loss and uncertainty, Jose stepped up as a pillar of his community and partnered with Operation Blessing, who helped Jose turn his home into a hub for community relief and a distribution point in his neighborhood providing food, hygiene and cleaning supplies for those in need.
“He could have left. He could have gone to look for something else, but he felt like: ‘This is my home. I grew up with these people. I love these people,’” explained Drew Friedrich, chief operating officer of Operation Blessing. “I think that’s so reflective of the American spirit. … I think we’re all our best selves when we’re serving others.”
Headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Operation Blessing is a global humanitarian organization committed to bringing help and hope to a hurting world. For nearly 50 years, the organization has delivered compassionate, Christ-centered relief and development programs that address both urgent needs and long-term challenges.
Through its five core pillars—hunger relief, disaster response, clean water, medical care and child development—Operation Blessing serves vulnerable communities around the world. Whether responding internationally or engaging locally, Operation Blessing remains driven by one goal: to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who need it most.
The Power of Partnerships
Friedrich said the Operation Blessing team works as a central connector for volunteers, churches, other charitable organizations and individuals to work effectively and quickly together. This innovative approach allows Operation Blessing’s volunteers to respond to the unique needs of individual neighborhoods immediately, just as they did for Jose.
“Following a disaster, these communities are reeling, and oftentimes they’re not prepared in any way, shape or form, to respond,” Friedrich said.
He continued, “You’ve got churches and civic groups who are coming together. They put politics, religion and all those things aside to lean into our community here, and help. [Operation Blessing is] oftentimes kind of the hub, pulling those people together. That’s what makes me most proud.”
In response to the Los Angeles fires, Operation Blessing received a $150,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation, which was co-founded by Bernie Marcus. The grant is dedicated to building a mobile laundry trailer, where wet and mildewy clothes can be laundered. While the clothes are cleaned, families are offered a hot meal and other needed resources.
“If we see a need, and we feel like we have the ability and the freedom … let’s make a difference now! Let’s not wait for it. Partners like The Home Depot Foundation make that possible. I think the agility and the innovation piece are really married together,” Friedrich said.
Friedrich said Operation Blessing is working toward running and overseeing a new program, Bel Air Rebuilds, in partnership with the Bel Air Church in Los Angeles. Like the laundry trailer, the program will create a mobile food pantry designed to deliver needed items to impacted families. Throughout the year, the pantry will take to hard-hit neighborhoods in Los Angeles to distribute groceries.
Operation Blessing creates a positive impact in other ways.
“Oftentimes it’s the things like paying rent while you’re waiting for your home to be rebuilt that really puts a strain on your resources. So, when we can step in and do things like providing groceries, even six months out, it really makes a huge difference in the bottom line for families,” Friedrich said.
Freedom to Give
“Government can’t be all things to all people,” Friedrich said.
The freedom to give allows Americans to give to causes they care about, and helped Operation Blessing react swiftly and impactfully to the Los Angeles wildfires.
While excessive bureaucracy may limit the government’s ability to quickly and effectively respond to disasters, this is where organizations like Operation Blessing really thrive.
“There’s always going to be a need for this private nonprofit space to jump in and meet people in their moment of greatest need. If the government restricts peoples’ ability to donate to the causes they choose, that could restrict our ability to help,” he said.
Donor-advised funds (DAFs) offer Americans the ability to strategically and thoughtfully support the charities and causes they care about most and are essential to Operation Blessing’s mission.
“DAFs give the donor a sense of ownership of their giving. I think people are more generous when they give through DAFs, because they’ve already set that money aside to say, ‘We’re giving this money.’ It’s not a spur-of-the-moment or an emotional decision,” Friedrich said.
The Future of Operation Blessing
Generosity fuels Operation Blessing’s mission of empowering people in need through compassion, Christ-centered relief and development programs.
“Our donors have long said to us, ‘We trust you, we know you’re going to help. And so here, go make a difference.’ And we believe that’s what we do. We invest in businesses, families and communities,” Friedrich said.
As the organization approaches its 50th anniversary in 2028, Operation Blessing has no plans to slow down and is continuing to scale its disaster response efforts across America.
“In the U.S., we’re trying to build a community of 10,000 volunteers a year who will come out with Operation Blessing and make a big difference,” Friedrich said. “Funding would allow us to help more people.”
In North Carolina, where Operation Blessing is still on the ground nearly one year after the devastation of Hurricane Helene, the group plans to help rebuild more than 200 houses for affected residents within the next year. In Texas, the organization is partnering with local churches to deliver meals to victims and provide supplies to first responders to aid in recovery efforts after flooding in Kerr County.
Although the road to recovery in Los Angeles is daunting, Operation Blessing continues to change lives by leading with compassion.
“We have to invest in people if we’re going to help them recover,” Friedrich said. “And when people invest in Operation Blessing, they give us the chance to show up immediately.”
To learn more about Operation Blessing, please contact Esther Larson, senior director of programs at Philanthropy Roundtable here.
