McKesson Corporation and Operation Gratitude Team Up to Show Support for Our Nation’s Troops

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - April 11, 2011 - McKesson Corporation, the nation’s largest health care services and information technology company, is supporting Operation Gratitude in their efforts to show appreciation for our military’s extraordinary strength and dedication to our country. As part of the company's 13th annual “Community Days,” McKesson’s corporate volunteer program, 15,000 McKesson employees from more than 150 McKesson sites across the country will come together to assemble over 28,000 care packages for active duty troops deployed around the world and wounded warriors recuperating stateside. 

The McKesson care packages, which include personal hygiene items such as deodorant, shave gel, disposable razors, ibuprofen, hand sanitizer and other essentials items, are intended to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member’s face and provide troops with a little piece of home while they are away.   McKesson is partnering with Operation Gratitude, a non-profit volunteer-based organization that annually sends over 100,000 care packages to individually named U.S. service members deployed overseas.McKesson is dedicating its annual Community Days to show its support for the men and women of the armed forces by assembling care packages and writing heartfelt letters to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.   “McKesson is honored to mobilize 15,000 employee volunteers to build care packages for troops deployed in harm’s way,” said Brian Tyler, president, McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical Distribution Services. “Given McKesson’s history in serving our armed forces and veterans, teaming up with Operation Gratitude is a natural fit.”   As part of McKesson’s commitment to serving veteran organizations, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, McKesson has delivered innovative technologies, six-sigma solutions and veteran small-business programs. “McKesson’s continued support of the U.S. Armed Forces is extended through all channels of our company,” said Tyler. “Whether it is the development of technology or building care packages for military overseas, McKesson employees remain dedicated to our nation’s heroes in all aspects of our business.”   “We are thrilled McKesson employees from around the country are donating their time and energy to help move our organization’s mission,” said Carolyn Blashek, founder of Operation Gratitude. "Equally important as the specific items in the care packages is the enthusiasm of the volunteers who pack them. When our recipients open their Operation Gratitude packages, they not only see great items, but also feel the love, respect and appreciation of the American people.”   During McKesson’s Community Days, McKesson employees come together at sites across the country to participate in a large-scale group volunteer project. The package build program will occur nationwide in more than 150McKesson locations including: Scottsdale, AZ; San Francisco and Fresno CA; Broomfield, CO; Orlando, FL; Alpharetta, GA; Overland Park, KS; Springfield, MO; Oklahoma City, OK; Columbus, OH; Durham, NC; Pittsburgh, PA; North Charleston, SC; and Carrollton, The Woodlands and Houston, TX.   Through the Company’s Corporate Citizenship initiatives, McKesson is committed to inspiring employees to invest in local communities and care for our planet. Employee volunteer service during McKesson’s Community Days is a demonstration of the Company’s ICARE core values – integrity, customer first, accountability, respect, and excellence – furthering McKesson’s belief that a commitment to good corporate citizenship is a fundamental part of creating sustained value for both society and the company.   For more information about McKesson Community Days and McKesson’s Corporate Citizenship initiatives including multimedia materials, visit McKesson’s Community Days online press kit at www.mckesson.com/communityday2011.   About Operation Gratitude Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, toiletries, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in harm's way and to Wounded Warriors recovering in transition units. Our mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Each package contains donated product valued at $125 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude has shipped more than 600,000 packages to American military deployed overseas.   About McKesson Corporation McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 14th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. Over the course of its 178-year history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payers; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payers designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit http://www.mckesson.com   PR Contact McKesson Public Relations Megan Hawkins 415.983.9307 Megan.Hawkins@McKesson.com   GROW Marketing Katie Sarro 415.440.1265 katie.sarro@grow-marketing.com       MCK13030