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Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation (OBI)
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, humanitarian organization that provides short-term
medical, hunger and disaster relief and development assistance to people
in need in the United States and around the world.
Beginnings
Founded on November 14, 1978 by businessman and philanthropist, M.G. Robertson,
Operation Blessing was originally set up to help struggling individuals
and families by matching their needs for items such as clothing, appliances,
and vehicles with donated items from viewers of The 700 Club, Robertson's
daily television program.
Operation Blessing's impact increased dramatically when local churches
and helping organizations agreed to provide matching funds for assistance
projects and individual aid. With the help of these groups, Operation
Blessing began providing low-income families with food baskets, help with
delinquent rent and utility bills, new school clothes and other necessities.
Special types of needs led to additional projects, such as an annual distribution
of thousands of blankets to the homeless and a program that provides seeds
for community vegetable gardens.
Growth
While Operation Blessing's outreach was spreading throughout the United
States, its commitment to helping hungry people and disaster victims in
foreign lands was also growing. Operation Blessing began sending food
staples, blankets, medications, and other necessities to hurting areas
around the world, like famine-ravaged countries in Africa and areas devastated
by disasters such as Mexico City. By its 10th anniversary, Operation Blessing
had spent $40 million of its own funds worldwide and through the cooperation
of other organizations, had leveraged that amount to approximately $196
million.
In 1986, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation
(OBI) was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to handle international
relief projects. Operation Blessing projects in the United States continued
under the auspices of CBN until 1993, when all Operation Blessing activities
were transferred to OBI.
With goals to expand Operation Blessing's humanitarian arm without incurring
high overhead costs as well as engage ministry partners at the local level
across the United States and worldwide, the first OBI outreach centers
were established in 1990. Dedicated volunteers in more than forty locations
around the world now provide manpower and logistics in helping Operation
Blessing reach the hurting in their communities. Each outreach center
also partners with numerous ministries, food pantries, homeless shelters,
and soup kitchens surrounding their community, providing hope every year
to tens of thousands of individuals living in poverty.
Feeding The Hungry
Through soup kitchens, school lunch programs, our fleet of Hunger Strike
Force trucks and a broad network of local agencies we provide nutritious
food and essential supplies to tens of thousands of children and adults
in America and overseas who face hunger every day.
The Hunger Strike Force (HSF), OBI's fleet of trucks, was established
in 1992. The HSF collects donated food from produce growers, packers and
shippers, as well as non-perishables from manufacturers and distributors.
A 35,000 square-foot distribution center in Virginia opened in 1994 and
shortly thereafter another one opened in California, making it possible
to ship mixed loads of food and other goods. HSF trucks deliver the donated
items to a network of more than 5,000 community-based relief organizations
that then fill the hands of the hungry with groceries.
In addition to delivering food numerous locations in our network every
day, several community food distribution events with various companies
as well as the NFL, and professional sports teams including the San Francisco
49ers, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Baltimore Ravens are
take place several times every year.
Quenching The Thirsty
Operation Blessing is breaking the cycle of water-borne suffering through
its Living Waters program. We drill new fresh water wells and build cisterns
that attack the problems caused by the lack of water. By drilling wells
to uncontaminated water sources and building cisterns men, women and children
around the world experience a new way of life as they have easy access
to life-giving water. People living in countries including Cambodia, China,
Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines, Romania and Uganda have
been helped.
Treating The Sick
OBI’s Medical Services program started when a medical team of volunteers
went to help the people of Romania in 1994. The medical outreach program
sends volunteer teams of doctors, dentists, other health care professionals
and support staff on one- to two-week missions. While the nature of each
mission may vary with the patient needs at the scheduled destination, the
teams typically provide a variety of basic medical and surgical services.
To further augment the work of its medical missions, OBI commissioned
The Flying Hospital, a specially equipped L1011 jet aircraft in 1996.
Through September 2000 the aircraft provided facilities for world-class
medical/surgical services to thousands of people in developing countries
and disaster-stricken areas. In light of rising terrorist attacks and
world conflict, it has been decided Operation Blessing will not use The
Flying Hospital on further missions at this time.
In addition to performing surgical and clinical procedures during short-term
medical missions, hard to get equipment, supplies, vitamins and medicine
are routinely sent around the world. The MedEx World Kit project is once
such venue. It addresses a community’s long-term, day-to-day medical
needs. More than 40 basic medical kits have been placed in rural villages
throughout Guatemala and Kazakhstan where medical help is not easily accessible.
These medical kits provided quick treatment of minor injury and illness,
preventing serious infection and debilitation.
Restoring Children’s Dreams
Bless-A-Child began restoring the dreams of children living in poverty
and at-risk situations in 1984. It empowers locally run programs all around
the world to address such issues as hunger, abuse, health, education,
character, spiritual knowledge, and life skills. In the United States,
BAC provides children in need with shoes, clothing and supplies for school.
Bless-A-Child goes even further in offering many kids opportunities for
clubs, sports participation and tutoring that encourages their growth
and development. International programs provide aid to orphanages; assist
with food, clothing, education and medical services for disadvantaged
and homeless children; and helps build, equip and support schools in rural
areas.
Responding To Disaster
After responding to Hurricane Andrew disaster victims in 1992, Operation
Blessing has since continued to quickly deliver life-sustaining supplies
and services to millions of victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, fires,
tornadoes, floods, blizzards and man-made disasters. The Hunger Strike
Force helps by transporting needed items including water, food and cleaning
supplies to the disaster areas. For international disasters, aid is transported
to devastated regions by plane, ship or rail.
Breaking Poverty’s Cycle
Hope Works is a successful tool in bringing hope to an individuals' long-term
future. Operation Blessing committed itself to serve more struggling people
when significant changes came to the United States’ welfare policy
in 1997. In the United States we partner with locally based agencies to
provide life skill training and a support network for unemployed and underemployed
Americans looking for a better life. In developing countries Hope Works
takes a different approach. Students can’t be prepared for jobs
that don’t exist. So, we look at a community’s needs and create
employment opportunities. For example, micro-credit loans have been awarded
towards women's cooperatives in Chad, a well drilling company was created,
and sewing cooperatives in South Africa were begun as well as other projects
around the globe. |
| Milestones |
2005 - Undertook largest disaster relief response effort to date within hours after Hurricane Katrina's landfall. Committed to rebuild throughout 2006.
2004 - Emergency disaster relief teams were on the ground assisting thousands of victims within forty-eight hours after December 26, 2004's deadly Asian tsunami. Rebuilding continues into 2006.
2003 - Assisted the Iraqi people with medical care, medicine and food relief .
2002 - Beginning in the fall of 2001, OBI fed countless Afghan refugees, and now continues to assist these war ravaged people build their lives through continued hunger relief, medical assistance and construction projects.
2001 -- In response to September 11th's terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center, OBI's Hunger Strike Force partnered with FEMA by providing tractor-trailers and networking 81 truckloads of relief aid to victims and volunteers. Hunger Strike Force also brought in an additional 13 truckloads of food and relief supplies.
2001 - Launched a successful micro-enterprise sewing program in multiple townships of South Africa, providing dozens of men and women with marketable skills as well as employment.
2000 - Working with numerous humanitarian organizations, OBI rushed to assist thousands of flood victims in Mozambique with more than 5.1 million pounds of donated supplies and food.
1998 - An amazing 22,484 men, women and children received free medical treatment during a two-week mission with The Flying Hospital to Hyderabad, India in November.
1998 - OBI celebrated 20 years of demonstrating God's love by alleviating human need and suffering in the United States and around the world.
1996 - L-1011 Flying Hospital launched with three surgical missions to Panama, El Salvador and Ukraine.
1996 - OBI's "Supper Bowl" is officially sanctioned by the Phoenix Super Bowl host committee and 240,000 pounds of food are distributed.
1994 - In November, 2,947 free medical services were provided to Romanians living in Bucharest and Timisoara during OBI's first mission!
1992 - Hunger Strike Force is established with a fleet of tractor-trailers and assists Hurricane Andrew victims.
1990 - Planted one million trees in reforestation project in Kenya and Ethiopia.
1990 - OBI's national and international outreach centers were born.
1986 - Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation was formed as a 501(c)(3).
1984 - Bless-A-Child began giving at-risk children around the world the help they need to become healthy, responsible adults.
1979 - More than 12,000 people were helped during first full year.
1979 - Holiday of Hope started bringing joy to those less fortunate during the holiday season.
1978 - M.G. Robertson founded Operation Blessing on November 14.
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