At that resource fair, about 360 kids from military and veteran families were given free backpacks filled with back-to-school necessities like pencils and notebooks.
Military kids on average move six to nine times between kindergarten and high school, the U.S. Department of Defense says. Helping out with those back-to-school necessities can help with the change of scenery and financial challenges.
“Times are tough,” said Sarah Heist, program manager for Blue Star Families Dayton & Southwest Ohio.
Families with school age children on average spend more than $870 on back-to-school shopping for school supplies, clothing, shoes and electronics, according to the National Retail Federation.
“Us being able to help out and mitigate some of the costs for back-to-school is huge for them, and we know how much it positively impacts the families,” Heist said.
Blue Star Families Dayton & Southwest Ohio teamed up with Operation Homefront to host a back-to-school giveaway and resource fair at the Holbrook conference center, located by gate 12A at Wright-Patt. They also partnered with the Department of the Air Force’s School Liaison Program for the event.
About 150 military and veteran families received backpacks and school essentials, but all visitors also were encouraged to load up on free items like books, bookbag tags, bookmarks and children’s socks.
In addition to giveaway stations, there were also vendor booths to connect families with resources like nutrition services, food assistance, tutoring, book clubs, vision and hearing screenings and special education programs.
Even Five Rivers MetroParks had a station where families could learn about local parks and recreational programs and meet “Juniper” the screech owl, J.J. the gray rat snake and two box turtles.
The resource fair served as a “one-stop shop” for a lot of services military and veteran families need throughout the school year and beyond, said Heist, with Blue Star Families.
Events like this also are a networking opportunity for military and veteran families where they can meet and build relationships with community members with similar experiences, said Darcy Clardy, Operation Homefront’s senior regional director for Region 2.
Military families typically have a permanent change of station every two to three years, and summer is the peak season for military moves, Clardy said. She said about a quarter of military families struggle with food insecurity and financial hardship.
“A lot of military kids are constantly the new kids,” she said. “This gives them things to get them started for back-to-school.”
Johansen, from Tipp City, said it’s hard on military families to move around and “start fresh” every couple of years.
“Not only is this great for resources, but it’s great to meet fellow family members,” said Johansen, whose her husband is an Air Force veteran who works as a program manager at Wright-Patt.
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