Home Front Hearts has been very busy these past six
months. We work directly with
military families facing incredible obstacles who are too proud, too afraid or
don’t know how or where to locate available assistance. For example, Sgt. “Smith” was medically
discharged after 11 years of military service and only received a 10% disability
rating from the VA for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress
disorder. His spouse lost her job
because she missed too much work taking care of his frequent medical
emergencies. With no computer and
living 90 minutes from the closest military installation, this family was
completely disconnected from the military and unaware of resources that might
be available to them. When they
first contacted Home Front Hearts, they had spent all their savings, were
living on $600 a month, and had $14 to pay for a week of groceries.
We connected them with emergency funds; referred them to legal services to assist with their VA issues; coordinated a collection through a local community group that was able to provide house and truck payment. We also received donations on their behalf of goods and services including a computer, gift cards to pay for food, and 9 large boxes of clothes, toys and household goods. As a result of the donated computer, this wounded warrior spouse was able to start a flexible work-at-home job so that she can care for her warrior but also provide much needed income for her family. Their legal appeal resulted in an increased VA disability rating that will also better provide for the family.
This is one story of one family. We have worked intensively with military families from five different states who were “lost” in the system. Our website (www.homefronthearts.org) provides a one-stop database for military family members. It is updated daily and new resources are contacted directly to enable us to refer family members to the best resources for their particular situation. Without formal marketing, we have had visitors to the site from over twenty three states and three countries. This summer we participated in a Yellow Ribbon Event for 3,000 soldiers returning from a deployment in Iraq. This winter we were able to present 162 Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans with gift cards for the holidays. Another 528 individuals/families/businesses have been in contact to either offer support or receive assistance.
How to get involved:
Our greatest need at present is assistance with fundraising strategies, grant seeking, etc. The main goal of Home Front Hearts is to build supportive communities, so if you have a skill or interest you’re willing to share – we’re grateful! You can reach me at: rscairns[at]homefronthearts.org