National Veterans and Military Families Month 2019
Each year, November is designated as National Veterans and Military Families month. With hundreds of thousands of service members deployed overseas, it is fitting that we recognize the blessings of freedom secured for us and the daily sacrifices made by our service members and their families.
You don’t have to be an active service member, veteran or part of a military family to show your support. So, what are some things that you can do to show your support to veterans, service members and their families during this special month? Here are a few ways that you can increase awareness and provide support to the military community:
- Donate a Thanksgiving gift to enlisted members and their families through the USO-Metro’s Turkeys for Troops.
- Adopt-a-Soldier for the Holidays
- Adopt a military family for the Holidays by sponsoring a food basket or toys for junior-enlisted military families through the Armed Services YMCA’s Operation Holiday Joy.
- Create a service member or spouse care package to help reduce stress during training, deployment, moves and relocations.
- Thank an active-duty service member, veteran, military spouse or other military family member for their service.
- Fly the U.S. flag.
- Offer a military neighbor a bit of reprieve with volunteer child care or chores, so the military neighbor can run errands or just take a break for a few hours to recharge.
- If you randomly see someone in military uniform, thank them for their service or surprise them with a free coffee, dessert or meal if the opportunity presents itself in a restaurant, coffee shop or bakery.
In addition to the above, there is still more that communities can do to support our service members and their families. A kind gesture in passing, a warm welcome to the neighborhood, hiring a veteran, helping a service member or military spouse transition to the local workforce - these acts, big and small, express our thanks and appreciation to our veterans, service members and their families.
