“As a military spouse, it means a lot to me to be able to give back,” Reyes said Saturday. “(It’s tough) to be away from friends and family and going to new places, so this really helps take a burden off our military families.”
Saturday’s event provided backpacks and school supplies to 240 military kids in the region, with recipients expressing gratitude for the help.
Jamie Dennison, whose husband is active duty, said her family has been in the military for 17 years. The family moved to the area in July for their third stint at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Dennison stopped at the Holiday Inn in Fairborn on Saturday, with her four young daughters in tow, to pick up the school supplies.
“Not only does this help financially, but I also think it helps the kids mentally to realize that a military move is hard but that there are organizations out there to help support them through this transition and give them an opportunity to feel special,” she said.
Military households tend to experience more negative effects of inflation than the general population, according to results from an annual Consumer Financial Literacy Survey, published in April by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
The survey found that 22% of military servicemembers were unable to pay their monthly bills outside of rent/mortgage, loan or credit card payments during the 12 months prior to the survey. This is compared to 13% of the general population over the same time period.
Things like overseas deployment and frequent moves can make it challenging to establish credit and maintain financial stability, the survey results suggest.
Tierra Mills is a single mother of two sons, ages 11 and 13. Originally from Akron, Mills has been on active duty in the U.S. Air Force for nearly 18 years. She is now stationed at Wright Patt after years of frequent moves.
Mills said she and her kids have been able to access school supply assistance through Operation Homefront’s Back-to-School Brigade each year, including when the family was stationed in Charleston, South Carolina, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I’m a single parent, so this helps me out a ton,” she said. “Everybody is always so kind and they always have what we need... it’s been a saving grace for us in more ways than one.”
Military families interested in keeping up-to-date with Operation Homefront program offerings can follow the organization on social media or visit www.operationhomefront.org.
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