Homefront Resources
ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today) for Military Families
ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!), is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to raise awareness and provide treatment services to families that cannot afford the treatments and services their children require. Recognizing the extraordinary challenges military families experience (waging a battle on two fronts...one for their country and another for their children), ACT Today! for Military Families is a dedicated fund to assist military families impacted by autism. ACT Today! for Military Families works to improve awareness and delivery of effective autism services, and provides financial assistance to military families to help defray out-of-pocket costs associated with autism treatments and other quality of life programs.
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Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront accepts donated vehicles from the community and provides them to military families without personal transportation at no charge. There can be a waiting list for vehicle donations and they are not available in all parts of the country. Through the generosity of our vehicle donors we are able to offer this much appreciated program to military families in need.
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Operation Homefront
For military families that are coping with deployment or injury recovery, Operation Homefront provides vehicle repair services, through authorized service centers. The average cost of a vehicle repair is around $700 with some repairs exceeding $2500. For anyone, that unexpected amount out of a monthly budget can be a burden. However, that amount for a family already coping with the stress of deployment or injury recovery can be devastating. Medical appointments, school attendance, grocery store trips all require safe transportation. By providing this critical service, Operation Homefront helps ease our service members' financial and emotional burdens.
The Home Front Cares (Colorado)
The Home Front Cares program provides support for Colorado's military families of all services who have been impacted by deployment in harm's way. The Home Front Cares is a non- profit 501(c) corporation that has helped approximately 1,850 families, contributing over $2.1 million in aid since our founding in 2003. THFC delivers assistance to the military community in the State of Colorado through a close collaboration with the Army Community Service at Fort Carson; the Family Support Centers at the United States Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, and Schriever Air Force Base; and VA offices. The family support centers identify and verify financial needs.
Phil Long's Operation Home Support - The Phil Long family of car dealerships, in partnership with The Home Front Cares, helps to solve transportation problems for military families, through roadside assistance, rental car discounts and maintenance, service and repair discounts.
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Free Cakes for Kids Killeen (services Fort Hood, TX area)
Free Cakes for Kids is based on the belief that every child deserves a special birthday cake! "When families are severely stressed financially, sometimes it is a choice between a birthday gift or birthday cake." Free Cakes for Kids makes sure families never have to make that choice!
We service the following areas: Ft. Hood, Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove in Texas. The majority of our volunteers are some way or another affilated with the military.
Free Cakes for Kids Southsound (services Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA area)
Free Cakes for Kids Fort Campbell (services Ft. Campbell, KY area)
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Operation Military Brats (Our Heroes Journey)
Our Heroes Journey offers clothing and baby item "give-aways" to children on military bases on a regular basis. OHJ works in collaboration with a "Spin Again" a childrens' clothing store and consignment to make these give aways possible! This helps elevate the financial stresses a bit with providing some much needed basic's for these well deserving military kids and their families!
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Coupons to Troops
Coupons To Troops is your source for information on a greatly needed way that Americans can show their support for our military families who are stationed overseas, by simply mailing your unwanted and expired manufacturer's coupons.
Our military families are limited to doing their shopping for groceries and household items at the Commissaries and Post Exchanges on base, where prices are much more expensive than you will find in our stores in the U.S. Both the Commissaries and Post Exchanges allow the use of manufacturer's coupons up to 6 months past their expiration date. In other words, a coupon with the expiration date of January 31st can be used overseas until July 31st. Our military families who are stationed overseas do not have easy access to the Sunday newspapers like we do here, so they are very appreciative of any coupons that are sent their way.
Coups for Troops (Wives of Faith)
Wives of Faith supports our military wives living overseas with our Coups for Troops ministry! Military families living overseas and shopping at PX’s and Commissaries can use the same manufacturer coupons we do here in the States but they can also use them up to six months or so after the expiration date!
If you are a military family living overseas, contact us to add yourself or your spouse’s club or military wives group to our coupon distribution list.
If you’d like to join in the fun of collecting coupons and supporting military families, mail your coupons to us. We will distribute coupons as they come in and will report on a regular basis the number of coupons we’ve been able to share!
Operation Coupon Clipper
The American Legion Las Vegas Post 149 is helping America's military famiies meet the high costs of living overseas by providing them coupons. Commissaries in foreign overseas areas accept most types of coupons offered by food and product manufacturers up to six months after the expiration date stated on a coupon. Commissaries cannot accept coupons issued by commercial grocery stores or supermarkets.
The Post has contacts with American Legion Posts and Auxilliaries overseas that will distribute the coupons to commissary shopers in their community.
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National Military Family Association
The National Military Family Association recognizes the unique challenges today’s military spouses face in pursuing additional training or education. Frequent moves make it difficult to complete programs and establish a career. We are here to help ease the financial obstacles that accompany pursuing a higher education.
The Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarships are awarded to spouses of all Uniformed Services members: Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve, Retirees, Survivors.
The scholarship funds may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board for:
- GED or ESL
- Vocational training
- Professional certification
- Post-secondary
- Graduate school
- In-class or on-line
- Full-time or part-time
Thanks USA
ThanksUSA is a non-partisan, charitable effort to mobilize Americans of all ages to "thank" the men and women of the United States armed forces. We're doing that by providing college, technical and vocational school scholarships for their children and spouses.
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Military OneSource
Log into Military OneSource for information on where to find help if you are unable to pay housing, medical, legal, or other expenses. Site includes:
- What to do in a financial emergency
- Getting help with housing and utility bills
- Getting help with food and meal expenses
- Finding medical care and getting help with medical expenses
- Getting help for a legal emergency
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Air Force Aid Society
The Air Force Aid Society is the official charity of the United States Air Force, incorporated in 1942 as a private, non-profit organization. For over 68 years, the Air Force Aid Society has supported the Air Force mission by providing worldwide emergency assistance, sponsoring education assistance programs and offering an array of base community enhancement programs that improve quality of life for Airmen and their families.
American Military Family
American Military Family provides financial support and services to members of the United States military and their families, in appreciation to all those who serve to protect the citizenry of this great country.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross works under partnership agreements with the Air Force Aid Society, Army Emergency Relief, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, and Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society to provide quality, reliable financial assistance to eligible applicants 24/7/365. Types of assistance include financial assistance for emergency travel, burial of a loved one, assistance to avoid privation, etc.
Army Emergency Relief
Army Emergency Relief is a private nonprofit organization incorporated in 1942 by the Secretary of War and the Army Chief of Staff. AER's sole mission is to help soldiers and their dependents.
AER is the Army's own emergency financial assistance organization and is dedicated to "Helping the Army Take Care of Its Own". AER provides commanders a valuable asset in accomplishing their basic command responsibility for the morale and welfare of soldiers.
AER funds are made available to commanders having AER Sections to provide emergency financial assistance to soldiers - active & retired - and their dependents when there is a valid need. AER funds made available to commanders are not limited and are constrained only by the requirement of valid need. For these reasons, the AER assistance program is conducted within the Army structure by major commanders and their installation/organization commanders through AER sections and other related organizations.
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA) is the official relief society of the U.S. Coast Guard. CGMA is a non-profit charitable organization established to provide financial aid to the entire Coast Guard family. While CGMA works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, it is an independent corporation. Its mission is to promote the financial stability and general well being of Coast Guard people through interest-free loans, grants, and financial counseling.
CGMA provides essential financial aid to the entire Coast Guard family, primarily through interest-free loans, grants, and financial counseling. Established and operated by Coast Guard people for Coast Guard people, CGMA provides a way to extend compassion to one another in times of need. It serves as a vital financial safety net, promoting financial stability and general well being, fostering high morale and encouraging a sense of loyalty to the Coast Guard.
Keep the Faith Foundation
The Mooney Family is excited to announce the creation of a charitable foundation, the Keep the Faith Foundation. While the primary purpose of the foundation is to support military personnel in need of assistance, it has a secondary vision to provide support for students who require educational assistance.
Keep the Faith has been an affirmation and a part of the Mooney support system since we have been a family. This affirmation signifies the desire to provide a sense of abundance, solace, hope, and peace to military personnel who are in time of sacrifice and to students who need educational support to further their goals.
KidsDonations.org
In 2006, K.I.D.S. joined with Operation Homefront to meet the needs of the families fighting for our freedom. Together we provide children of military families with the most basic essentials in life – clothing, shoes and baby products – as well as support their emotional and developmental needs by donating books, educational materials and toys. We also provide baby products for monthly showers, furnish nurseries for new mothers, and provide mothers with new apparel and toys to give away to their children during the holiday seasons.
In 2010, K.I.D.S. provided approximately $3.6 million worth of clothing, shoes, baby products, books, educational materials and toys to children and families on military bases through our partnership with Operation Homefront. These donations reached over 10,000 military families.
Michigan National Guard Family Program
Your first step to financial assistance, the Michigan National Guard Family Fund, Inc., provides for up to a $500 grant to soldiers and airmen and their family members who encounter financial hardships as a result of deployments, military injuries, or just hard times.
The Michigan National Guard Family Fund was created to assist Air and Army National Guard families who experience financial difficulties with temporary emergency financial assistance, and to fund programs and training to maintain and improve the quality of life of our Michigan National Guard families.
What constitutes a need? Emergency loss of income through activation for military duty, inability to maintain employment due to injury or sudden illness, or job loss; unexpected medical expenses; pay problems; or the accumulation of legitimate bills (e.g. rent, mortgage, electric, oil, gas, etc.). Inability to pay for basic needs: food, shelter, utilities, clothing, medical bills, and transportation due to unforeseen circumstances. Applications are required to be submitted with the necessary documentation.
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society can provide interest-free loans or grants to help with emergency needs such as:
- Emergency Transportation
- Funeral Expenses
- Medical/dental Bills (patient's share)
- Food, Rent, and Utilities
- Disaster Relief Assistance
- Child Care Expenses
- Essential Vehicle Repairs
- Unforeseen Family Emergencies
Operation Once in a Lifetime
Operation Once in a Lifetime’s mission is to make the dreams of soldiers and their families come true by providing free financial and moral support.
Operation Once in a Lifetime was created by a soldier to help other soldiers; a soldier knows what a soldier needs and a soldier knows what a soldier does not need. A soldier does not need to worry about providing beds for his kids, worrying if his electricity will still be on when he goes home or if his house will be foreclosed on when serving his/her country. A soldier needs a program that will provide free financial assistance regardless of his rank, race, branch of service, physical condition or his deployment status. A soldier needs a program that can help make a life altering contribution when he is in his/her greatest need; Operation Once in a Lifetime is that program.
Reserve Aid
ReserveAid is a nonprofit organization committed to providing financial support to the families of Reserve Service Members from all services, who have been called to active duty and are experiencing financial difficulty. Our goal is to alleviate the emotional and financial burdens placed on the men and women called to serve our country by supporting their families at home.
Salute, Inc. (Direct Assistance)
Salute, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness and support of issues facing active military personnel, veterans and their families and to provide financial support through advocacy and fundraising.
The Direct Assistance Program offers financial support to or on behalf of military members and their families experiencing financial difficulties brought on by deployment, extended active duty or injury.
The American Legion's Family Support Network
The American Legion's Family Support Network is ready to provide immediate assistance to service personnel and families whose lives have been directly affected by Operation Iraqi Freedom and America's war on terror.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the nation's active-duty military has been on high alert, and National Guard and reserve units are being mobilized in record numbers. As a result, the families of these men and women often find themselves unable to meet normal monthly expenses, and assistance is needed for a variety of everyday chores. These tasks include grocery shopping, child care, mowing the grass, fixing the family car and other routine household jobs.
To address these issues, The American Legion has a nationwide toll-free telephone number, (800) 504-4098, for servicemembers and their family members to call for assistance. Applicants can apply online by clicking the assistance form at the top of the page. Calls are referred to The American Legion department, or state in which the call originated. Departments relay the collected information to a local American Legion post. The local post then contacts the servicemember or family to see how assistance can be provided locally. Since the creation of the Family Support Network during the first Persian Gulf War, thousands of posts have responded to meet these families' needs.
The Armed Forces Foundation
The Armed Forces Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing solace to members of the Armed Forces community during their time of greatest need. We provide direct financial support to Service Members and their families for:
- Everyday living expenses
- Housing improvements
- Transition and career counseling
- Funeral arrangements
- Counseling and family retreats
- Airline tickets and hotel bills so that military families can be near their loved ones during trying times…
The Home Front Cares (Colorado)
The Home Front Cares program provides support for Colorado's military families of all services who have been impacted by deployment in harm's way. The Home Front Cares is a non- profit 501(c) corporation that has helped approximately 1,850 families, contributing over $2.1 million in aid since our founding in 2003. THFC delivers assistance to the military community in the State of Colorado through a close collaboration with the Army Community Service at Fort Carson; the Family Support Centers at the United States Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, and Schriever Air Force Base; and VA offices. The family support centers identify and verify financial needs.
Grants to Families Fund - Assistance for car repairs, house repairs, childcare, evictions, food, utilities & other family emergencies.
Energy Assistance Program - As an agency of Energy Outreach Colorado, THFC receives limited grants to pay energy bills for all Active Duty, Activated Reserve and National Guard, and recent medically released Veterans, living in Colorado, who need financial assistance. (Deployment not required)
The Last Mission Project (Operation First Response)
Combat PTSD is exasperated by the battle mindset. During combat a Warrior’s duty is to survive and do their best to keep their comrades alive, this can compound the normal sense of survivor guilt, most believe that they have failed their comrades who were killed or severely injured. These emotions isolate the Warrior because they cannot be shared with anyone who has not had the same traumatic experience, which explains the Combat Veteran’s belief that his/her family members or therapist will not understand because they haven’t been there. At the same time studies indicate that talking about the trauma can be the key to unlocking its debilitating grasp.
OFR has traveled this journey with our wounded Warriors for 6 years, during that time we have experienced the changes they have endured as their journey continues.
PTSD has become the invisible injury that gone untreated can take its toll on the Veteran by means of alcohol and substance abuse, criminal activities, unemployment, divorce, in severe cases suicide.
From our experience the financial devastation can be the last straw, it is our hope to alleviate the financial stress for the veteran allowing them to make clear decisions about treatment without the burden of the cost it will have on the family. By receiving treatment and learning to cope with PTSD in a manageable manner we will return more veterans to their families and communities as productive members. As the recipients of their service and sacrifices we have a responsibility to assure their quality of life.
Operation First Response is the bridge between the Warrior and hope for a promising future, enabling them to concentrate on recovery. Examples of assistance: rent/mortgage, utilities
vehicle payment, groceries.
Unmet Needs (Veterans of Foreign Wars)
The Unmet Needs Program was created to provide emergency financial support to families of military personnel. Funds from donations are available to the five branches of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard), as well as members of the Reserves and National Guard. Funds awarded by the program are offered in the form of grants, not loans, so recipients don’t need to repay them. As they are typically less than $1500, there is little chance that they will affect the recipient’s taxes.
USA Cares
USA Cares exists to help bear the burdens of service by providing post-9/11 military families with financial and advocacy support in their time of need. Assistance is provided to all branches of service, all components, all ranks while protecting the privacy and dignity of those military families and veterans who request our help. Since 2003, USA Cares has responded to over 26,000 requests for assistance with more than $7,400,000 in direct support grants.
USO Emergency Assistance
Many USO centers offer housing and financial information and support to our troops and their families during emergencies.
Wish For Our Heroes
The Phoenix Group launched a non-profit foundation in November of 2009 that grants wishes for active duty Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and their families. The Foundation strives to relieve the burdens of family separation, re-integration for deployed soldiers, hardship circumstances, and other means of assistance not covered by existing military charities.
The Foundation is driven by an interactive website allowing anyone to request a wish for active duty members of our Armed Forces. The website allows ‘wish granters’ to view wishes and contribute donations.
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Angel Food Ministries
Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.
Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.
Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.
Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront assists military families during difficult financial times by providing food assistance in the form of food boxes and gift certificates to grocery stores. While we are not a long term solution for chronic financial problems, we are able to provide emergency food assistance to those families that find themselves in a budget crunch.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.
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Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront coordinates donations made by the community to provide assistance to military families. We provide gently used furniture and appliances, household necessities and baby items as they are donated. Some item requests may involve a waiting list and may not be available in all areas.
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Heat for Heroes
Heat for Heroes is a program of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Chicago and the service technicians of Pipefitters Local 597. They donate their time and materials to repair home heating or cooling systems for eligible military personnel.
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Fannie Mae Military Forbearance Option
If you’re facing a financial hardship due to a death or injury of a service member on active duty, you may be eligible for a special military forbearance option. A forbearance is an agreement between you and your mortgage company to temporarily suspend or reduce your monthly mortgage payments for a specific period (usually between 90-180 days) of time. This option lets you deal with your short-term financial problems by giving you time to get back on your feet and bring your mortgage current.
With a military forbearance, you may qualify for additional benefits such as a longer forbearance period—up to 6 months—and no adverse impact to your credit score (all credit reporting related to your mortgage loan will be suspended during the forbearance period). Additionally, a special hotline has been set up for additional guidance about this option and other mortgage assistance programs—877-MIL-4566.
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Operation Homefront
Each year Operation Homefront chapters help military families get their children ready to go back to school by collecting new back packs filled with school supplies for school age children. This assistance allows families to focus on the other important back to school expenses like new clothes and shoes. Taking some of the financial pressure off during this important time of year, ensures that military kids can begin their school year with pride and confidence. In 2009 alone, over 19,000 backpacks were provided to military children.
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Operation Homefront
Thankfully, the military provides for a new eye exam every year for military family members, but the cost of glasses is not a covered benefit. Operation Homefront offers military family members in financial need new glasses for those that cannot otherwise afford to replace them.
Copyright Benita Koeman 2008 - 2012
resources
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