'Operation Patriot Care Package' is an effort to raise awareness about the sacrifices military families make not just during the holidays, but all year round.

Their mission is to raise the nation's awareness to the military family's situation by providing a sense of what they are going through. It's an opportunity for the families to be heard in their own words.

We follow both the 172nd brigade Blackhawks and the loved ones they leave behind. These families have moved to Germany with their military spouses, and from there, the soldiers have left for Afghanistan to fight for our country.

This story shows each family preparing a care package for their loved ones with photos, homemade art and some of their favorite Christmas goodies.

"Some people say America has forgotten about the war, because it has been going on for ten years, but for most people, that's not true," one soldier said. "We have complete strangers doing things like this for us."

The soldiers' families have formed an 'FRG,' or a family readiness group, where they work to compose care packages for the deployed soldiers.

"The FRG's main goal is information dissemination," says Katie Vance, Family readiness Group Leader. "So we try to inform spouses so that they are able to cope and deal with the Army life."

The groups are formed by all of the wives in hopes of providing a 'company' setting, where they can stand together and have a support system during deployment.

"They need stuff from home to remind them what they are fighting for," says Brittany McCain a 'Charlie Tank' FRG member. "I think it's very important. Little boxes of love is what I like to call it."

Most of these families haven't seen their loved ones for extended periods of time. This Christmas, they will be in deployment.

"This really means a lot to a soldier," says Captain Brad Vance, 172nd Infantry Brigade. "Just to receive a package like that, you know someone in the United States is thinking about you."

For more information on Operation Patriot Package, click here

To donate click here