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Support our Troops and Their Families
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Hundreds of thousands of men and women from all over America are serving in our armed forces and away from their homes. While they serve our country, those of us “on the homefront” can be making a difference too.

Many Americans are looking for ways to support members of the military and their families. The following are some of the ways you can express your support for our troops, give time and care to their families, and help strengthen their communities.

America Supports You
America Supports You was launched by the Department of Defense to help recognize the efforts of Americans across the country to support our military and to communicate that support to members of our Armed Forces serving at home and overseas.

Using the website, http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, Americans can show their support by posting a message to the troops, requesting and wearing the program’s free dog tag, or finding an organization through which they can donate frequent flyer miles, send gift certificates, help sponsor homes for disabled troops, or send letters, messages, and care packages.

USO Care Package Program

The USO Care Package Program was created to provide a safe and secure way for the public to show their support for our men and women in uniform.

For a $25 dollar donation, Americans can sponsor a care package for a service member who is either en route to an overseas assignment or currently deployed. Each USO Care Package is assembled by volunteers and contains, at a minimum, a 100-minute international calling card, a disposable camera, toiletries, sunscreen, and a message of support from a Care Package sponsor. Over 480,000 care packages have been distributed as of December 2004.

Additional information about the USO Care Package Program is available at http://www.usocares.org or by calling (877) USO-GIVE.

The USO is a Congressionally-chartered non-profit corporation whose mission is to provide morale, welfare, and recreation-type services to military personnel. The USO operates 125 centers, including centers in Kuwait and Qatar, and will soon open a center in Afghanistan.

Other Ways to Show Support for the U.S. Military
Help for Troops

Through Operation Dear Abby, send e-mail messages to deployed troops of any Service from your home state.

Through Operation Uplink, contribute to the purchase of phone cards that will be distributed to military personnel and hospitalized veterans.

Through AMVETS Voices From Home™ contribute to the purchase of instant voice email packages so military families can send voice emails to the troops in remote locations.
Help for Families

Offer your time and resources as an individual, organization, or business to give families of deployed troops help with activities such as household repairs, spring cleanings, and yard work or specialized skills such as financial planning or legal advice. Volunteer by contacting a local chapter of any of the following organizations: American Legion, American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, BPO Elks of the USA, Camp Fire USA, National 4-H Headquarters, National Fraternal Congress of America, Rebuilding Together, The Salvation Army, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Volunteer Center National Network, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and YMCA of the USA.

Volunteer with one of the youth serving organizations helping to tutor or take care of children while a parent or caregiver is stationed away from home. Some of these organizations include the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Camp Fire USA, National 4-H Headquarters, and YMCA of the USA.

If you want to donate money, there are many organizations that help military families. Each of the branches of the armed services has a military relief society that offer low interest loans and other emergency financial assistance to military families: Army Emergency Relief, Navy/Marine Relief Society, Air Force Aid Society and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance.
Help for Educators

Teachers can find new resources on the U.S. Department of Education web site meant to help them work with students with a parent or other relative deployed in the military. The web site also offers information on effectively working with students generally who may have questions or ideas about war.
Help for Others

Think about sharing your time and compassion with a veteran at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital or other facility.

Search for a way to help in your community through the USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network.