Operation Blessing International (OB) is a faith-based humanitarian organization headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1978, OB operates in more than 65 countries, focusing on disaster relief, medical aid, clean water, hunger relief, and child development programs.
Operation Blessing International (OB) was founded on November 14, 1978, by businessman and televangelist Pat Robertson.[2] Its stated purpose was to assist people facing challenges by connecting their needs, like clothing and appliances, with donations from viewers of The 700 Club. OB worked with local churches and organizations to expand its support to include food and financial aid for low-income families. In 1986, it partnered with Development Corporation and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In 1990 OB shifted its focus from individual assistance to funding outreach centers across the U.S. These centers collaborate with local ministries, food pantries, and shelters.
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.[3] Internationally, Operation Blessing has assisted victims of humanitarian crises in Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, and Kenya.[4][5] 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.[6]
More recently, OB has responded to the 2025 history-making Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, supported those impacted by the injustices in Burundi (2025), aided artisans in Asheville, NC after Hurricane Helene (2024) devastated their livelihood, and helped refugees from the war in Ukraine in 2022.
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.[19][20] According to Operation Blessing records, Robertson owned the planes used for Operation Blessing airlifts.[21]
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.[22]
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.[19] 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."[23]
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