Jill Biden helped assemble care packages for troops serving overseas during the holidays

Dr. Jill Biden got involved in Operation Gratitude on Thursday, helping to assemble care packages for troops serving overseas during the holidays. Biden and retired General Lloyd Austin, recently named as her husband's nominee for secretary of defense, joined volunteers in Washington, D.C.

Wearing gloves and a mask, Biden filled the packages with items for service members deployed in the Middle East, South Pacific, Europe, and aboard U.S. Naval vessels. Operation Gratitude is aiming to ship out 20,000 care packages with the support of Veterans United Home Loans and CSX.

“Today is part of a multi-day effort in DC and Los Angeles to pack a total of 20,000 packages,” a spokesperson for Operation Gratitude said in a statement. “Each package contains snacks, candy, 10 handwritten letters of gratitude, and hand-knitted scarfs from more than 1 million volunteers nationwide."

In a statement on Twitter, Operation Gratitude wrote: "In the spirit of gratitude and the holidays, Thank You!! Our Military & First Responder Heroes appreciate your support!!"

Thursday was also Human Rights Day, with Biden encouraging people to "protect the marginalized. Protect the vulnerable."

In a message on Twitter, her husband wrote: "As the United States works to advance human rights around the world, we must also recognize that our task begins here at home. My administration is committed to ensuring every person is free to flourish in a society that values and defends equal justice for all."