LAFCU assembled care packages for veterans & first responders
LOS ANGELES, CA (August 28, 2023) — On 8/12/23, 26 Los Angeles Federal Credit Union (LAFCU) employees & their guests, along with over 300 other volunteers, assembled 5,000 “Care Packages” for deployed troops, military families, veterans and first responders for the Operation Gratitude charity. The special “Assembly Day” was held at their spacious, well-ventilated Chatsworth, CA warehouse.
Since its founding 20 years ago in 2003, Operation Gratitude has assembled and delivered almost 4 million Packages, containing snacks, personal care and hygiene products, and handmade items, and the most cherished items included are handwritten letters from grateful Americans nationwide. These letters are the manifestation of Operation Gratitude’s mission to express appreciation for those who step forward to serve and sacrifice on our behalf.
Along with volunteering time at the warehouse, LAFCU raised then donated $12,500 to Operation Gratitude. This included $7,500 from LAFCU branches and online in April, plus a $5,000 corporate match through their 501(c)3 charity, the Los Angeles Charitable Association (LACA). LACA was founded in 2006 to collect and distribute funds to deserving 501(c)3 charities in the Greater Metropolitan Los Angeles, California area.
Since its founding, LACA has donated $635,000 to charities and its supporters have volunteered over 2,100 hours at those charities.
Anyone who lives in the Greater Metropolitan Los Angeles, California area can join LAFCU and take advantage of its financial services. For more LAFCU information, visit www.LAFCU.org, call (877) MY LAFCU (695-2328), or stop by one of their branches.
Los Angeles Charitable Association, Inc. board members, after helping assemble “Care Packages,” donated $12,500 to Operation Gratitude on 8/12/23 at their warehouse in Chatsworth, CA. The funds paid for creating 500 of 5,000 Packages that 330 volunteers assembled that will be sent to deployed troops, military families, veterans and first responders. Pictured (l to r) are LACA board members Marty Goodman, Secretary; Anthony Cuevas, President; Dina Franks, Director; Sheldon Miller, Vice President; & Richard Lie, Treasurer; along with Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude Founder.
About LAFCU (CA)
LAFCU was founded in 1936 by 13 Los Angeles City Employees to give fellow employees a safe, low-cost, and convenient source to borrow and save money during the height of the Great Depression. They gathered $65 to form the “Los Angeles City Employees Federal Credit Union.” In 1987, the name changed to Los Angeles Federal Credit Union to reflect a growing field of membership, which started to include immediate family members of City employees and individuals who lived in the same household as a current member. In 2006 LAFCU expanded its field again to include residents living in most counties of Southern California by establishing the Los Angeles Charitable Association, Inc. (LACA). LACA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity that donates and supports charities in the greater L.A. area that since 2006, has donated over $500,000 to those charities.
Now, 85 years after its initial deposit of $65, LAFCU manages $1.2 billion in assets, has 71,000 members, staffs seven branches, and its members can access a nationwide network of 30,000 CO-OP ATMs and 5,000 shared branches.
Anyone living in most counties of Southern California can join LAFCU and take advantage of its financial services. For details, visit www.LAFCU.org, call (877) MY LAFCU (695-2328), or visit a branch.
