Marsha Roseman and Joan Rimmon, long-time volunteers with a care package organization, wanted to reach out to Jewish Service Members to provide religious items that they would not otherwise receive in care packages sent by most military support organizations.

  Marsha and Joan contacted chaplains who advised how many boxes they would need for their particular units. Project MOT, with a growing crew of volunteers, sent its first batch of 9 Passover boxes for 20 personnel in 2008.

  By Rosh Hashanah, we had enough names and items to send 27 packages and at Hanukkah we sent 45 boxes. This Passover, 2009, Project MOT sent 114 boxes addressed to Chaplains and individual Jewish Service Members.  We seem to be growing in leaps and bounds!

  We are so pleased to tell you that for Pesach 2010 we sent 244 packages with many wonderful items donated by the community. A senior center in Florida made some lovely matzah covers and seder plates.

  Project MOT care packages include a variety of items, including Jewish music CDs, Hanukiyot, seder plates, haggadot, blank greeting cards and special foods appropriate for each holiday, prayer books, kippot, and most important letters from children from Hebrew schools and day schools as well as adults, even new toothbrushes and tooth paste for Pesach. We also include crossword and soduko puzzles, cartoons and local Jewish newspapers.

  Our goal is to brighten the lives of those far away from their families during their deployments and bring a little taste of home to them. We also want the general Jewish population to know that our men and women are serving as a part of our brave military forces.

Here are a couple of the letters of thanks for the 2009 Pesach packages.

Ladies and gentlemen, "Thank you for remembering my Jewish soldiers (which includes my son) who are deployed around the world ensuring our freedom and security during the Global War on Terrorism. The spiritual needs of our Jewish military "kinder" are often over looked due to the extreme shortage of military rabbis. Service provided are normally in support areas and impossible for infantry, armor, cavalry or artillery soldiers to attend. Chaplains from other faiths try to fill the void but it is not the same. The MOT project is filling a void and providing a service that is badly needed. The packages of Jewish religious and cultural items are a great morale builder. In my thirty-six years of service I have never received such a "care package" from my religious community. I know the Jewish military personnel around the world will appreciate this gift from the heart." Major General J. H., California National Guard

Dear ProjectMOT,   I am currently serving with the U.S. Army in Kabul, Afghanistan and just received the package you sent through Project MOT.  It was very thoughtful of you to do that and I want to thank all of you for your kindness, and particularly Dahlia for your lovely note.    There is a group of us Jewish men and women here, military and civilian, who will be having the Passover Seder together.  Celebrating Passover in this austere environment can be challenging but is also very fulfilling.  We are all looking forward to sharing this special time together.   My best wishes to you all for a happy and healthy Passover. All the best, D. F. E., COL, USArmy

Click here to see Photos   Click here to read more letters of Thanks from the Troops
Click here to go To Instructions for Scarves and Cool-Ties  Click here to see our Wish Lists

On April 21, 2009 Joan Glanz Rimmon appeared on blog talk radio to plug both ProjectMOT and Operation Gratitude.
To listen click on this link; then scroll down to Operation Gratitude: 
                                                                                      http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yourmilitarylife/2009/04/21/Operation-Gratitude