A labor of love: Operation Gratitude

Denise McNutt, center, is grateful for the support of Auburn's First Lady Mrs. Tracy Roberts, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

McNutt wraps a box with OIT employee Kim Rogers, senior manager of Human Resources, at the annual box-packing party.

This year, soldiers from Fort Moore helped pack boxes, which will go to their fellow military service members who may need a pick-me-up.

Associate Systems Engineer Alyssa Krienke leads a line of OIT employees loading packed boxes to send to Fort Moore.

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About five years ago, Auburn University employee Denise McNutt was assigned to work a few days on a project at the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) on campus. As she got to know the student veterans there, she thought about holiday boxes sent overseas by churches and wondered aloud what a military service member might want. When she heard how simple the veterans’ answers were, she knew she had to do something.

“It just happened to be the beginning of November. They named off cookies and Twizzlers and eyeglass wipes, and I could not believe that was it,” she said. “So, I came back and told our CIO Jim about it, and I asked, ‘Can we just do something?’”

“Jim” is Chief Information Officer Jim O’Connor, who oversees Auburn’s Office of Information Technology (OIT), where McNutt works as a support analyst. When she told him she wanted to make 25 boxes, he countered with 100 and offered her OIT meeting space for packing and volunteer hours from OIT employees. McNutt’s co-workers immediately began donating supplies, and that was it — “Operation Gratitude” was born.

Now in its fifth year, McNutt, OIT and the VRC’s volunteer project is a well-oiled machine, producing 100 boxes loaded with supplies and treats for military service members and another 20 boxes for military K9 service dogs and their handlers. McNutt and OIT volunteers collect supplies donated by OIT staff, veterans’ families and units across campus. They deliver them to OIT’s conference room, where employees attend an annual “box-packing party” to assemble boxes, fill them with goodies and then wrap them in cheerful holiday paper.

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In the past, McNutt has worked with the VRC to send the boxes to military service members stationed abroad. But this year, the chaplain from nearby Fort Moore in Columbus, Georgia, offered to distribute the boxes to military service members who have had a tough year or need a little pick-me-up. McNutt lost both of her parents over the last few years, and she feels helping soldiers who are “local” is a way to honor the memories of her father, a World War II veteran, and her mother, who taught her the importance of serving.

“When I was a little girl, my mother always told me that charity begins at home. So, I’m really happy we can help our soldiers at Fort Moore this year, because we need to take care of our neighbors close by before they can help others,” McNutt said. “And our OIT employees have worked so hard — this initiative absolutely would not be successful without our volunteers.”

McNutt estimates she and OIT have collected more than 20,000 items over the years, ranging from toothbrushes and hand sanitizer to candy and snacks. Operation Gratitude does not have a budget; the project is a labor of love, run on goodwill and McNutt’s determination to help others. Her colleagues in OIT say they are grateful for her leadership and are proud to call her a co-worker.

“I feel like Denise lives out the Auburn Creed,” said Zane Everitt, senior project manager in OIT. “Her passion and enthusiasm are contagious, and she is completely selfless and focused on the impact on our military. What Denise started five years ago has grown into a wonderful opportunity for our department to work together on a common goal that is bigger than our individual efforts.”