Operation Blessing International was founded on November 14, 1978, by businessman and televangelist Pat Robertson.[3] Its stated purpose is to assist people facing challenges by connecting their needs, such as clothing and appliances, with donations from viewers of The 700 Club.
OBI collaborates with local churches and organizations to provide assistance to low-income families, including food and financial aid. In 1990, the organization transitioned its focus from individual assistance to funding outreach centers throughout the United States, focusing on local ministries, food pantries, and shelters. OBI's international activities include medical aid, hunger relief, and disaster response efforts. The organization became officially registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1986, following a partnership with Development Corporation.
Operation Blessing has been involved in domestic relief work for victims of many natural disasters, such as severe flooding in Nebraska, tornadoes in Mississippi, and hurricanes Michael and Florence in Florida and North Carolina.[4] Internationally, Operation Blessing has assisted victims of humanitarian crises in Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, and Kenya.[5][6] With a focus on public health, Operation Blessing was involved in working to combat the spread of Zika fever through educational initiatives, distribution of mosquito nets, and providing insect repellent.[7]
In 1994, Pat Robertson made pleas on The 700 Club for cash donations to Operation Blessing to support airlifts of refugees from Rwanda to Zaire. The Virginian-Pilot later discovered that Operation Blessing's planes were transporting diamond-mining equipment for the African Development Corporation, a venture Robertson had established in cooperation with Zaire's dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, whom Robertson had befriended earlier in 1993.[20][21] According to Operation Blessing records, Robertson owned the planes used for Operation Blessing airlifts.[22]
A 1999 report concluded that, while Robertson's request for donations to Operation Blessing had been misleading, it was not an intentional attempt to commit fraud.[23]
A September 2013 article in The Guardian reported that Operation Blessing's volunteers recited Bible passages to dying refugees. Robertson was accused of taking credit for work that was done by Médecins Sans Frontières.[20] In a December 2013, The Guardian issued an apology to Operation Blessing, retracting many of their accusations, acknowledging that they had not mentioned a further report that cleared Operation Blessing of any wrongdoing, and agreeing to donate to their "relief efforts for victims of the typhoon in the Philippines."[24]
