Approximately 500 volunteers formed an assembly line to pack about 8,000 to 10,000 care packages with necessities for the organization Operation Gratitude on Oct 30 at the Van Nuys National Guard Armory in California.

Enlarge By Dan MacMedan for USA TODAY Kathleen Vincent hauls a load of Beanie Babies to the assembly line. Troops like to give the stuffed animals to children they encounter in Iraq and Afghanistan. TO DONATE TO DONATE For information on how to give holiday donations to troops overseas and their families or to sign a servicemember up to receive a package, contact: Operation Gratitude http://www.opgratitude.com/

OpGrat@gmail.com Give 2 the Troops http://www.give2thetroops.org/

888-876-6775 Little Patriots Embraced http://www.littlepatriotsembraced.org/Home.shtml

877-448-3573 Operation Shoe Box http://www.operationshoebox.com/

352-307-6723 Charity organizations across the country have been collecting everything from blowup reindeer and hand-knit scarves to mp3 players and guitars all year long, planning to brighten the holidays for troops deployed far from home. The task at hand is finding enough money to ship the gifts overseas, organizers say. Postage to Iraq and Afghanistan is almost $100 per box, says Andi Grant, president and founder of Give 2 the Troops. Her Connecticut-based organization sends 70-pound boxes with gifts inside for an entire unit to share. "I need help sending that over," she says. Grant started Give 2 the Troops eight years ago and says that although the group is "overflowing" with material donations, it is not receiving as much money for shipping costs as it has in previous years. Coming into Thanksgiving week, the organization needed an additional $30,000 to $40,000 to get this year's holiday gifts to the troops, Grant says. The cost can vary greatly depending on the size of boxes shipped. PHOTOS: Preparing gifts for the troops WHAT MAKES US GIVE? The science behind philanthropy VOICES: What is the best gift you'll give this year? Florida-based Operation Shoe Box also sees shrinking donations though it gets as many requests from troops as ever, says Mary Harper, president and founder of the organization. "It's harder every year to keep the motivation going," she says. Since Grant's husband was deployed to Iraq in 2002, Give 2 the Troops has been sending packages to units who register on the organization's website. There are about 75,000 units signed up from all branches of the military, serving mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan, Grant says. Give 2 the Troops fills boxes with the typical handwritten cards and stockings but includes things the units specifically requested, such as microwaves. Gifts are especially important as the holidays approach, Grant says. "This is one of the weakest times for our troops because they really miss home," she says. Master Sgt. Michael Goza has been deployed in an undisclosed location overseas since May 2010 and will not return home until January. He will miss his traditional holiday celebrations with his wife and three daughters. In June, he received a care package from Operation Gratitude and says the items inside made him and the rest of his unit very happy. "Believe me, we really do enjoy getting some of the things from home, no matter how small or how big," Goza says. Operation Gratitude focuses on sending smaller packages to individual servicemembers overseas. Based in California, the group sends 100,000 packages a year, each containing 150 small items that can be shared with the recipient's unit, says Carolyn Blashek, the organization's founder and president. Including expenses such as storage, forklifts, communication and security, each package costs about $15 to ship, she says. Shipping is much less than what Give 2 The Troops pays because Operation Gratitude sends significantly smaller boxes. This year, each holiday package includes a hand-knit or crocheted scarf, blank holiday cards for the servicemember to send home, beef jerky, protein bars, energy shots, DVDs, socks and more. Because Iraq and Afghanistan are Muslim countries, pork products, alcohol and overly religious items cannot be sent, Blashek says. Each box includes a small stuffed animal, which can be given to local children. This encourages the children to tell troops where bombs and terrorists are, Blashek says. Dec. 11 will be Operation Gratitude's last shipping day, on which it will ship its 600,000th box, Blashek says. Each milestone box goes to a randomly selected servicemember with a dramatic surprise such as keys to a new SUV or a vacation in the Caribbean. "It's really a celebration of the support the country has for the troops," Blashek says. "All of your gifts bring smiles and sometimes tears to everyone that receives them," Goza says. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more