South Jersey Nonprofit Supporting Military Troops

A local non-profit organization in South Jersey is making lasting impacts on American military troops from all over. Known as Operation Yellow Ribbon, the organization creates large care packages that are sent to American military troops stationed in the Middle East. OYR also organizes “Rockstar Welcome Home” events “for local veterans in the South Jersey area by partnering with the Warriors Watch Riders and other Patriotic organizations to bring our local heroes home in "Rock Star Fashion," their website says.

Operation Yellow Ribbon, formerly known as “The Yellow Ribbon Club,” was originally started by Leslie and Mike Drummond in South Jersey when their son was deployed to Iraq in 2005. The couple initially sent their son a shoebox filled with care package items and eventually, neighbors wanted to contribute too. The box continued to get bigger and bigger, and eventually, it became known that many in the area had a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan. Sending care packages became a coping mechanism for parents and spouses to serve as a reminder for their loved ones that people back at home were thinking of them. When the Drummond’s son returned home, they surprised him with an extravagant welcome home, including a parade of motorcycles, police cars and firetrucks.

Around 2009, Dave Silver, the current leader of Operation Yellow Ribbon, saw cars with yellow ribbon magnets while running errands. He asked how he could get involved and was told that he couldn’t because it was a closed group. Silver learned that what the group really needed was money in order to send out care packages, so he raised money for the group and received an invitation to join.

“I guess they put their guard down a little bit and trusted me after I handed them the check and they invited me up to the next meeting,” Dave said. “Within a year or two, I was basically running everything except I wasn't the face of the organization.”

That was until Leslie and Mike Drummond retired and Silver took over completely. He rebranded the organization as “Operation Yellow Ribbon” and has continued to run it since.

"You know, the mission's always been about the troops, not about us, not about being on TV or being in the newspaper,” Silver said.

Silver began to create a presence on social media for Operation Yellow Ribbon in order to gain support from his surrounding community. He spoke to several Girl Scout troops and businesses in the area, asking for donations and sharing Operation Yellow Ribbon’s mission.

“I just say, ‘Hey, look you do this. Not only will you feel good, but then you'll be known in the community as someone who gives back and supports the troops,” Silver said. “We always make it a win, win right?”

Operation Yellow Ribbon’s reputation helps bring in more and more volunteers, including care package recipients who wanted to return the favor. Sally Stenton, a retired Judge Advocate General in the United States Air Force came back to volunteer for OYR.

“When I retired and moved home to NJ, I was so excited to volunteer for OYR,” Stenton said. “I loved collecting at ShopRite, doing the cookie drive in December, packing the boxes and being able to welcome home my brothers and sisters-in-arms that made it home!”

Stenton explained that having an organization like OYR makes a huge difference in morale for deployed troops through their care packages and welcome home events.

“The vast majority of people get mail and small packages from family and friends at home, but there is a certain percentage that gets nothing. Even those that get stuff and especially those that don't, appreciate getting OYR boxes from complete strangers,” Stenton said. “They are huge and meant to be shared. They absolutely know that people at home have not forgotten them, think about them and care about them. It helps them know what they are doing there is for a reason.”

Rob St. John is another service member who has received care packages from OYR and is very passionate about their mission. St. John served in the Army National Guard of New Jersey and found out about OYR through his wife during his deployment to Afghanistan from 2013-2014.

“Finding organizations like OYR is the ultimate way to help support our military soldiers and families,” St. John said. “I have no idea how Dave Silver does it.”

St. John heard about Dave Silver when he received his first box from OYR while he was in Bagram, Afghanistan. He finally got the chance to meet Silver in person when he returned home. OYR organized a large welcome home event at St. John’s old high school.

“An organization that supports you during your entire deployment and remembers you when you get home is priceless,” St. John said.

Some volunteers in the organization do not have a previous career in the military, such as Christine Tomlin. However, she still enjoys giving her time to OYR and the troops. Tomlin learned about Operation Yellow Ribbon in 2010 when Dave Silver spoke to the troop leaders of Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey.

“Our service unit invited Dave to give a little speech about how we could sell boxes of cookies for Girl Scouts and reap the benefits and the profit from that,” Tomlin said, “and have it donated directly to Operation Yellow Ribbon to go into their care packages to the soldier.”

Within the past year, Tomlin decided to dedicate some of her time to the organization each week by packing care packages at OYR’s packing garage.

“All of my kids have grown up. They're doing their own thing, so I wanted to be able to give back to the men and women who are working out there for our freedoms,” Tomlin said. “It gives me some pride and it's exciting to do. I've never really had the opportunity or the time to do it before and now I do, so I give that time to them.”

Operation Yellow Ribbon is always seeking out more help, and there are plenty of ways that the community can get involved.

“We always need more things. We always need more help with supplies and funds, especially funds for postage,” Tomlin said. “Postage is really expensive, and that's an expense that keeps going up. Monetary donations are a huge help for the organization.”

Operation Yellow Ribbon is always welcoming donations, such as hygiene items, puzzle books and certain food items. An extended list of items OYR accepts can be found on its website.

OYR is also running its Operation Holiday Goodie Drop campaign through December 11th, an effort “to send a ‘taste from home’ to US Troops deployed in The Middle East and far from home during the December holidays,” according to the OYR website.

“Gingerbread kits are really fun, like how cool would it be to be in freaking Jordan deployed and missing Christmas, and somebody sends you a gingerbread kit?” Dave Silver said. “You know, for five minutes you can distract yourself and put together a gingerbread house and have it as your Christmas.”

The annual event is done in an attempt to bring some holiday spirit to deployed troops who are unable to come home. The December care packages are filled to the brim with holiday-themed items, such as candy canes, gingerbread houses, Christmas stockings and Hanukkah gelt.

To keep up to date with Operation Yellow Ribbon and its events, visit its Facebook page or website.