Operation Freedom Paws

This Thanksgiving, we have so much to be grateful for—our incredible families, friends, staff, therapists, and supporters who make our work possible. We are especially thankful for our clients and their families who trust us to help them navigate a new normal, and for the amazing four-legged lifelines who make that journey a little easier each day. To our military and first responders, whose service takes them away from home and loved ones, we see you and are deeply grateful for all you do. You are a big reason why we can gather around our tables and give thanks today. Wishing everyone a peaceful and joyful Thanksgiving. And as you can see from this photo, Christmas is right around the corner! #Grateful #Thankful #Community #Military #FirstResponders #veterans #servicedogs #HappyThanksgiving #GivingThanks

#GivingTuesday "Early Intervention Saves Lives" Campaign As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support. Because of you, over 570 individuals—veterans, first responders, children, and others with disabilities—have regained their freedom and independence. More than 2,700 family members have received critical resources, and hundreds of shelter and rescue dogs are now serving as life-saving service dogs. At Operation Freedom Paws, we believe early intervention saves lives. By teaching clients to train their dogs to detect changes in their body chemistry and alert them to those changes, we empower them to act quickly before a medical crisis escalates—preventing emergencies and life-threatening situations. Today, we are excited to launch our #GivingTuesday "Early Intervention Saves Lives" campaign, where your donation can be the early intervention that helps save a life. Watch the story of our client and mentor-trainer, Steve, and see how early intervention—through his communication with his service dog, Merlin—has helped him take control of his medical condition and healing journey. You can view Steve’s story and make a tax-deductible donation on our #GivingTuesday platform here: https://lnkd.in/gWtynxm5 📱 Mobile Donations: Text OFPGT2024 to 76278

This week, we're celebrating clients who, after being mentored by our founder Mary, are now giving back to the program as mentor-trainers, helping others navigate their healing journeys. One powerful example is Steve, a veteran, who for years—alongside his service dog Merlin—has been teaching clients how to acquire life-saving tools and harness the profound human-canine bond to regain their lives. Look for Steve to share his story during our Giving Tuesday campaign. Thank you, Steve, for your service and your dedication to helping others. And remember, when you give on Giving Tuesday, you’re not just making a donation—you’re helping create a cycle of healing and support that empowers individuals to give back, just as Steve has. #TuesdayTriumphs #GivingTuesday #Veterans #HealingJourneys #MentorshipMatters #HumanCanineBond #Gratitude #Thanksgiving

Black Friday is almost here, and the holiday deals have already started. We are proud to be a nonprofit participant in the Target Circle. If you live in Salinas, Marina, Sand City, Capitola, Gilroy, Hollister, Morgan Hill, Scotts Valley, or Watsonville, shopping earns votes you can cast in your account for Operation Freedom Paws, which will go toward a donation to our mission. Gift your loved ones and give the gift of a lifesaving match between a veteran, first responder, or child and a service dog. Here’s how to get started: Step 1: Choose ‘My Target’ in the Target app or ‘Account’ on Target.com Step 2: Tap ‘Cast votes’ Step 3: Find Operation Freedom Paws & vote Want to know more? Visit: www.target.com/circle #4Paws2Feet1Vote #TargetCircle #ProudNonprofit #HolidayGiving #ServiceDogs #VeteranSupport #MakingADifference #community

Big strides! Congratulations to our client Alexsis and our friends from Dream Power Horsemanship, Martha and Nicole, for completing the Morgan Hill Veterans Day Run. This event has been a tradition for them, but this year was extra special—Alexsis participated in her first 5k with her service dog, Mulan (middle), and Martha with OFP-trained Therapy Dog, Jettie (left). Nicole and Tacy are already pros at this race together (right). Operation Freedom Paws is proud to be among the beneficiaries of this incredible community event, alongside our healing partners at DreamPower Horsemanship, Team Red, White & Blue, Too Many, Open Doors to Future Possibilities, Inc., and Morgan Hill Freedom Fest. A big thank you to organizer and veteran Charles Weston, AIA, LEED AP for creating an event that has a lasting impact on our veteran community year-round.

One Week Left! Imagine meeting San Francisco 49ers Tight End George Kittle—now, imagine that your support helps provide service dogs to veterans, first responders, children, and others who need them most? Donate and enter now for your chance to win and support Operation Freedom Paws mission: https://lnkd.in/gj62rFJD Please share and help us make these final days count. Let’s rally for good and finish strong together. Huge gratitude to George Kittle, the Kittle Family and Alltroo!

“Community is about doing something together that makes belonging matter.” — Brian Solis Join us for the Morgan Hill Veterans 5k/10k/1k Walk/Run this Sunday, 11/17 at 9:30am PT. Organized by Veteran Charles Weston, this event benefits veteran organizations serving our communities, including Operation Freedom Paws. This is such a great event for the entire family. Whether you run or walk it, every step helps our veterans and their families in need take positive steps forward. You must register in advance to participate, but there’s still time! Registration ends tomorrow at 11:59p PT, so sign up now to join us and make a difference: https://lnkd.in/gyVDK6mM #Veterans #Community #5k #10k #WalkRun #OperationFreedomPaws #SupportOurVeterans #FamilyEvent #morganhill #CharityRun

We want to extend a sincere thank you to the incredible team at Equinix for their dedication and hard work in preparing our large relay field for reseeding. Your efforts have truly set the stage for a vibrant, green space that will enhance the training and relief areas for our OFP service dogs and first responder K9s. This work will also bring new beauty to our property, which serves as a sanctuary for our clients and their families. We are truly grateful for your time, energy, and commitment — your impact on our mission and the community we serve will be appreciated for years to come. Please join us in thanking Mike Yacenda, Liz Do, Eileen Sangster, Morgan Chase, David Thayer, Randy Okubo and Cate Taylor!

We’re excited to announce that George Kittle, 5-time Pro Bowler and San Francisco 49ers Tight End, has teamed up with Alltroo to rally for good in support of Operation Freedom Paws. As a passionate advocate for our mission, George is helping us empower veterans, first responders, children, and other individuals with disabilities to regain their independence and find healing through the life-changing support of a service dog—at no cost to them. Donate today and enter for a chance to win an exclusive VIP experience at a 49ers game, where you'll meet George Kittle in person! This campaign ends on 11/22/24. All donations will go directly to support our mission. https://lnkd.in/gj62rFJD A huge thank you to George Kittle and the entire Alltroo team! #GeorgeKittle #Alltroo #OperationFreedomPaws #VIPExperience #49ers #ServiceDogs #GivingBack #Veterans #FirstResponders #Independence #Healing #rallyforgood

This Veterans Day, we were honored to have KGO-TV/DT ABC 7 reporter Lauren Martinez and photographer Alex Gray join us in class to share the work happening at Operation Freedom Paws. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to bring attention to the dedication, strength, and resilience of the veterans and their families who are at the heart of our program. A special thank you to our clients Ramon and Jeff, and to our founder Mary C., for generously sharing their personal journeys and the lasting impact of our program with viewers. The story aired on the 11 PM news last night. We’re thankful to Lauren, Alex, and ABC7 for helping us amplify our mission. You did a beautiful job! Watch the full story here: https://lnkd.in/ghyQXS6B