Backing up the Front with Food

Have you ever wondered where your next meal will come from or how you're going to buy groceries when your budget is strained to the max. I think we've all been there...at least I have. For our military families, times are often tough and the toughest it seems when service members are deployed. You can make a difference by attending the Farm Bureau of VA Open House on Friday, May 7th at 1215R George Washington Highway, Yorktown, VA and donating a non-perishable food item for the Food Pantry. These items are used to provide emergency food assistance to military families "caught in that crunch" between pay periods where just a little help is needed. If you're not in our area but would like to help, please visit www.operationhomefront.net/hamptonroads and make a donation online. A recurring donation of $10 per month supports the cost of one emergency food voucher for a military family in crisis. When you set your next meal on your table at home think about those who may not be able to do the same! It happens...help us help them by Backing Up the Front.

Another day in paradise...

I always prefer to wake to a sunny morning where I can hear the birds chirping and when I open the door to let my dog out, there's a light dew on the grass, inviting new growth to all those things that bloom in the spring. I am blessed that this is what I am able to see most mornings because I live in a country where my freedom is secured for me. Where I don't worry about landmines, scuds or incoming attacks of any kind. I am also blessed that our US Military are there fighting for my freedom and it is they who stand in harms way to keep me safe.

As these brave men and women serve and sacrifice around the world I wake every morning concerned about their spouses and children who wait behind hoping and praying that they will return safe and sound. These families endure untold hardships each and every time their service member deploys. Imagine 6 mos or more each time there is a deployment. Think about what the family goes through on both sides of the ocean. The family here at home struggling with bills and lifes challenges with an integral member of their family absent. Consider the children and their life with one parent gone for large periods of their life...missing the milestones they reach each and every day in school, in sports, in their activities and just missing that extra hug before bed or the smile across the dinner table. The service member overseas worries about the family and thinks who will be there if something goes wrong...who will fix the car when it won't start? Where will the money come from if the bills get too high? Whose going to help my wife move when our lease is up and we have to move?

Operation Homefront Hampton Roads like other Operation Homefront chapters across the nation see this need for our military families and provides programs and services which can help in times of crisis. In order to do that we need support. If you know of anyone who would like to help us help those who keep us free, visit our chapter at www.operationhomefront.net/hamptonroads or call 757-806-6150. "We'll be here as long as they are over there"! Help us help!

A weekend in the life

It was a weekend of fun while Operation Homefront Hampton Roads volunteers and staff spent time with Patriots and Veterans at the VA Beach Bike Classic...An annual event, the weekend was filled with activities, vendors, concerts and a wonderful opportunity to hear stories from many of our service veterans. It was refreshing to feel the patriotic theme throughout the weekends activities and the opportunity to share what Operation Homefront does for our service members. The most prevalent comment we heard over and over was "we wish Operation Homefront had been around when we were in the service." Well, we're here now and we provide services and activities which support the emergency and morale needs of our troops, the families they leave behind and wounded warriors when they return home. If you'd like to find out how you can help our military members and their families left behind, please visit our website at www.operationhomefront.net/hamptonroads .

Another Day in the Life

Isn't it refreshing to know that people helping people still occurs in our lives as harried and busy as our lives can become? We got a call this week about wounded warrior's family needing help with a car repair due to an accident. The right front tire blew on the car while crossing the railroad tracks and the car careened into the cement piling on the side of the road. When the WW took the vehicle to the local repair shop they pryed the fender back and replaced the damaged tire and made the necessary repairs to the severed brake line and returned the car to the soldier, agreeing to wait while the soldier could arrange for payment. As we made contact with the repair shop and looked at the remaining repairs for the fender and headlight assembly that still needed to be done to make the care driveable and able to pass state inspection, we found another repair shop willing to find the materials necessary at their wholesale cost. When we indicated "cosmetic" repairs were out of the question, the owner of the shop said, "we've probably got paint we can use to get it close to their color for now. In a few days the vehicle should be fixed and the WW will have their only family vehicle back on the road. All by making partnerships and relationships with caring individuals and businesses in our community. Would you have a service you can share to help us help those who keep us free? Visit our website at www.operationhomefront.net/hamptonroads and let us know how you can help! You'll be glad you did.

How Bad it Can Be...

How many times have you gotten up and at some point in the day thought, it can't get any worse? We've all felt that way. Usually, our day gets better and we often think about other things and become re-engaged with our lives and our family.

Some of our military members and their families, and many times veterans who are already out of service, find themselves thinking "can it get any worse?" Usually it's when a member of the family is deployed, the car breaks down, the hot water heater breaks, the dental bill for Suzy's braces comes in or the family finds that someone in the family needs new glasses. These are challenges we all have but for our military families, many of these crises are faced with either the husband or wife deployed and the family left behind must fix what needs to be fixed or support what needs to be paid with a higher level of anxiety because they are making the decisions and making the changes on their own.

A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom came to me last week and after the normal hugs and "how are you's", we sat and chatted to catch us each up on the other's life. Our veteran told me about being released from the transitional housing program at the local VA Hospital and that he is in a small apartment with a job at the local university. He's doing food service and catering right now and hopes his job won't disappear if the economy continues to be a challenge. He walks the 15 blocks to and from work and said as soon as he's saved enough money for a car, he hope to be able to drive again. You see, he lost his car when he became homeless less than a year ago and had to sell the car to eat. Finding a space in the transitional housing program was a great help and now that he is out, he has a job, a renewed look at life and waits to receive a call from the national donor registry since he's on dialysis due to a shrapnel injury in Irag which left him with 2 damaged kidney's. He's eating as well as he can since the VA pulled his teeth and he's waiting on his dentures. But, he claims all in all, eventhough he has some bad nights with his PTSD and he often awakes finding himself sleeping in his closet for safety, life is good.

Our veterans serve in silence and ask for very little in return. In fact, when they are in trouble, they are often too proud to admit it and therefore, by the time they ask for the help they need and deserve, they are many times in over their heads. Operation Homefront Hampton Roads help military families and wounded warriors who need help and you can help too. Although our Veteran is out of service and we are unable to assist directly, you can help by helping us find a donated car. This will help him stay employed if his job is lost over the summer due to decreased food service needs at the college. Please contact Operation Homefront Hampton Roads if you'd like to hear more about how YOU can make a difference for a military family or wounded warrior in need. www.operationhomefront.net/hamptonroads