Who is Operation Homefront, and what should we know about you?
Operation Homefront is a nationally recognized nonprofit that has been proudly serving America’s military families for more than 20 years, including those living in Tennessee. Our mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive, not simply struggle to get by, in the communities – OUR communities—they have worked so hard to protect. Since 2002, Operation Homefront has been proudly serving America’s military families. Our organization provides relief and recurring family support programs and services throughout the year to help military families overcome short-term difficulties so they don’t become long-term hardships.
What is unique about your business that makes you stand out?
A key aspect of our mission is to ensure that military families, in times of adversity, have access to the support and resources they need to stay strong, stable, and secure. Through our Critical Financial Assistance program, to date, we have fulfilled nearly 55,000 requests for help and provided more than $39 million in assistance. We know even temporary financial setbacks can shatter dreams and derail futures, and we are experienced at helping military families get back on a stronger, more stable, and more secure path. We have graduated more than 700 families from our Permanent Homes for Veterans program and provided over $102 million in home equity. Our transitional housing programs have helped hundreds of military families, helping to defray more than $7 million in rent and mortgage costs. Operation Homefront has consistently earned high ratings from leading charity rating services, including Charity Navigator, which gave our organization 4 stars for 11 consecutive years for superior service and accountability. Click HERE to learn more.
What’s your biggest goal for your company this year?
United We Stand is our ambitious, three-year, $100 million comprehensive campaign to generate the resources that will allow us to secure the futures of our military families for years and hopefully decades to come. Campaign funds are strategically targeted to put Operation Homefront in a position of strength, with $75 million to fund ongoing operations and $25 million to fund our capital component, supporting $10 million in a program growth fund, $10 million in a ready reserve fund, and $5 million in an innovation fund. Thanks to the support of many in our generous community, we are making great progress, but we still need help meeting our goal. Click HERE to learn more.
How do you stay involved in the community?
Our recurring family support programs delivered by our field staff across the country, including those in Tennessee, continue reaching tens of thousands of military families each year, relieving financial burdens at critical times during the year when they need it most. Our Back-to-School Brigade program delivered more than 30,000 backpacks this year (2023) at more than 100 events, including Clarksville, TN. This year, we delivered our 550,000th backpack with essential school supplies, saving families nearly $60 million in back-to-school expenses. This year (2023), our Holiday Meals for Military program will provide a holiday meal to our 700,000th individual family member, saving military families over $9 million in holiday expenses.
What differentiates my business from the competition?
Our mission to serve America’s military families is critically important, now more than ever. It is a national tragedy to see a service member and their family experience a short-term financial hardship as they transition back to their civilian community that derails any hope of a brighter future—one that leaves them outside of the American dream looking in. Inflation and rising costs have impacted all Americans and taken a tremendous toll on our nation’s military families managing tight budgets. This, along with the current housing market, lack of financial literacy, and uneven access to government programs, makes our mission to build strong, stable, and secure military families even more important. We believe strong military families make their communities stronger, and these strong communities, in turn, make America stronger.
