SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thousands of military children will have toys this holiday season thanks to Operation Homefront and a major national retailer. The two entities have joined forces to set up special "Toy Shops" around the country to allow spouses of deployed military personnel to pick out toys for each child. Available to all branches of the military, these unique shops will be set up on or near 6 military installations including Ft. Hood and Ft. Bliss in Texas; Ft. Bragg, N.C.; Ft. Campbell, Ky.; Ft. Stewart, Ga.; and Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Families must register online at http://www.operationhomefront.net/HolidayGiving.asp Although dozens of families will be served in each location, availability is limited.
This comes at a time when Operation Homefront, a non-profit that helps military families in need and provides support to our nation's wounded warriors, has seen an increase in requests for financial and emergency assistance, including an 82 percent increase in requests for food assistance over last year.
"This has been an especially difficult year for our military families and their children. They're not only dealing with deployments but also the economic recession," said Operation Homefront Chief Executive Officer Jim Knotts. "Through the generosity of this major retailer, these donated toys will allow the military families to provide a happy holiday for their children while using their limited resources on the vital basic needs."
About Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance for our troops, the families they leave behind and for wounded warriors when they return home. A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers in 30 chapters nationwide, and has met more than 202,000 needs since 2002. Operation Homefront is a four-star rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator. Nationally, 92 cents of every dollar donated to Operation Homefront goes to programs. For more Information, please visit www.operationhomefront.net.
National Media Contact: : Jim Knotts, (202) 547-0638 or (202) 870-0507, Jim.Knotts@operationhomefront.net
Local Contacts:
California: Jae Marciano, (866) 424-5210, socal@operationhomefront.net
Georgia: Kim Scofi, (704-945-7114, nc@operationhomefront.net
Kentucky: Tina Englen, (931) 982-3207, Tina.Englen@operationhomefront.net
North Carolina: Jane Weaver-Sobel, (800) 825-1097, Jane.Weaver-Sobel@operationhomefront.net
Texas: Jennifer Cernoch, (210) 659-8039, Jennifer.Cernoch@operationhomefront.net
Karen Smithhart, (210) 324-8980, Karen.Smithhart@operationhomefront.net
SOURCE Operation Homefront
