Holidays Approaching and How do we Give?

If you pay attention to the ads and hype of the season we continually hear "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". For many families, the holiday truly can be a most wonderful time. However, for many other families it will not be as they look to a holiday with a loved one deployed overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan or some other location away from family. As we approach the 3 week countdown to Christmas Day, requests for assistance in the Operation Homefront Hampton Roads Adopt-A-Family Program continue to be received at a rate of 2-3 per day. The individual needs are different but the general commonality between these requests is that families are struggling. They are struggling with mortgage payments, car repairs, bills which have accumulated over time whey they have experienced unexpected financial issues which have stressed their financial resources.

Many members of the community have called and offered their support. Some are supporting families directly, some are gathering as a group to sponsor one or more families and some are offering to "shop" for families to help Operation Homefront serve as many families as possible with the resources they have at hand but where there are volunteers needed to assist in getting the gifts purchased, wrapped and delivered.

How do you give each holiday season? Have you thought about making a change in your giving process this year? Instead of giving a gift to one or more friends, have you thought about making a testimonial donation in their name? What about a memorial gift for a friend who has passed and who you wish to remember with something from your heart? What about adopting a family who is in need? Instead of gifts within a group, why not ask your friends over and instead of sharing a gift, ask them to bring a cash donation and select a charity of choice.

Operation Homefront Hampton Roads serves the needs of military families where a service member is deployed or where a wounded warrior has returned home. Operation Homefront Hampton Roads could use your help to meet the needs of the families who don't have the resources available to make their season bright! Please consider making contact and sharing your holiday cheer with a military family here in your own backyard. For more information, visit www.operationhomefront.net/hamptonroads