As often happens a chance encounter and an act of kindness resulted in something bigger. In 2009, Ken Ruff found himself behind a soldier and his family at a grocery store when he noticed they didn’t have enough money to pay for their groceries which included an austere number of items to make a Thanksgiving dinner. He stepped up to pay the difference despite the protest.  The encounter made Ruff realize there was a need to help military families during the holidays.

 Ruff went back to his company Beam Global and canceled the holiday gifts usually given to clients and got the seed money to launch a pilot program to distribute more than 500 holiday meals kits to service members and their families. They paired with Operation Homefront a nonprofit Ruff had worked with before and trusted. The program has continued to expand over the years and now has 20 core sponsors that provide generous support which includes volunteer hours, funding, food items, venues, storage, and shipping.

 Each holiday meal kit contains a turkey, gravy cranberry sauce, stuffing and vegetables. In 2018, almost 10,000 families were gifted a holiday meal due to generous donors. Since that first year, the Holiday Meals for Military program has served over 90,000 military families including 420,000 family members.  

The 2019 Holiday Meals for Military Events are now open for registration. All ranks of Active Duty are eligible as well as National Guard or Reserve on Title 10 status, Post 9/11 wounded, ill, or injured service member of any rank. Visit Operation Homefront – Holiday Meals Registration to register for a meal. The group operates on many installations around the country.

In addition to the Holiday Meals, Operation Homefront provides a variety of services to military families in need. One of the ways you can help is to make a monetary donation to their current needs. There are many families suffering a one time crisis that can be helped with a donation to stop a downward financial spiral due to unexpected expenses. For example, one family just needs $78 for groceries. Others need emergency assistance to pay rent or utilities.

Another need is volunteers. As a nonprofit, Operation Homefront is dependent on their volunteers who help make their valued programs and services for military families happen. Programs include: critical financial assistance, rent-free transitional housing, caregiver support programs, family support with holiday meals, school supplies, baby bundles, toys, and resources for military spouses and children. Visit the website to find volunteer opportunities in your area.

They also have a monthly giving program called “Homefront Hero”. A donation of $10 a month will help provide groceries for a month for a military family. A $25 monthly donation helps pay utility bills for a military family. You can help cover car repairs for a military family with a $50 a month donation. It is simple to set up and makes a huge impact for our military families.

Whether you need their services or would like to give back, check out Operation Homefront. What ways do you give back to our military communities?

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

The Nonprofit, Soldiers’ Angels runs a Halloween Candy collection program. The program signs up local businesses like dental offices to agree to accept excess Halloween candy in exchange for goodies. The candy is then collected and sent to troops and veterans. Visit Soldiers’ Angels to find a drop off location near you. It is too late to sign up to be a drop off point this year but check back in August, 2020 if you would like to be a collection point. This is a great way to get rid of all the candy your kids collect without all the tears. Many young ones are happy to “Support the Troops”.

“May No Soldier Go Unloved” is the motto of Soldiers’ Angels and founder Patti Patton-Bader saw first hand the need for soldiers to feel loved. The daughter of a Korean and Viet Nam war veteran, she established the nonprofit when her son, Staff Sgt. Brandon Varn was deployed to Iraq and shared stories that he was one of the few receiving care packages from home. Determined to turn this heartbreak around, Patti marshalled the troops of her family and friends and soon every soldier in the platoon was receiving a care package. 

Since that time “Soldiers’ Angels has become one of the highest rated nonprofits in the country. The group aids those serving in all branches of the military, their families and to Veterans. Almost everything raised, 96.5% goes to the organizations programs to provide support. It meets all 20 standards for accountability with the Better Business Bureau and awards from GreatNonprofits and Charity Navigator. Soldiers’ Angels has thousands of volunteers which they call Angels. In 2018, the group provided $25 million in aid, sent 28659 care packages and 177,307 letters, supported 24,000 Veterans with food aid, distributed 39,995 items at VA Hospitals. Over the holidays adopted 1637 families and provided 1,165 baby boxes to spouses and active duty female service members. Volunteers logged an astounding 164,524 volunteer hours. You can see why they are rated so highly as a charity.

This worthy cause has a variety of ways you can help. Visit the website and make monetary donations online or by mail. Ask if your company makes a matching gift or contribute through the Combined Federal Campaign. Host a Fundraiser or consider planned giving in your will. Drink a Beer, look for Craft Breweries that participate in Hops for Heroes and down a Homefront IPA. Soldiers’ Angels is one of the beneficiaries.  There are a variety of other ways you can support this cause such as donating a car or shopping at Amazon. Even little things can make a big difference.

May No Soldier Go Unloved,
May No Soldier Walk Alone,
May No Soldier Be Forgotten,
Until They All Come Home.™

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

     It’s that time of year again when the holidays are rapidly approaching. They are especially difficult if your spouse is deployed and you have children who have expectations. When they are younger it is easier as they don’t know it is a holiday.

     The first Thanksgiving my husband was deployed my sons were two and three years old. My Mother came to visit which was nice but when it came time for Thanksgiving neither of us felt like making the effort. In my family Thanksgiving is an extravaganza, with ham and turkey and so many side dishes the table is covered. It is finished off with signature dishes like my pecan pie and my mother’s pumpkin chiffon pie. All is this is served on the good china with freshly polished silver. Obviously, that was too much cooking for two. Not wanting to go out to eat we opted for the Cracker Barrel which had take out meals on Thanksgiving. They offered plates with all the Thanksgiving favorites, so we ordered two and I ran over to pick them up. It was heaven. Just the right size and no cooking.

     Sometimes during deployments, I just wouldn’t want to be around anyone during the holidays whereas other times I was feeling more social and wanted to be around people. In that case a Thanksgiving Potluck is in order. Get together with others in your boat and join for a nice meal. Many of the neighborhoods on military installations have community centers which you can use. Some even have playgrounds for the kids. Decide how everyone is going to participate and plan what everyone is to bring. I like to use www.perfectpotluck.com. You can set up a meal and decide what you need everything from food and drinks to plates and utensils. You then blast it out to all you want to attend in one email. Then everyone can sign up and see what others are bringing so there isn’t any repetition. Consider asking for people to chip in for a big turkey (you can even put a donation as something to bring to cover cost of turkey). Make sure to consider cleanup. Oftentimes everyone heads out leaving one or two people to handle the mess. Be considerate and help.

     During deployments it can be hard when your civilian friends and family are celebrating so getting together with your military family makes sense as they totally understand what you are going through. How do you handle the holidays when your spouse is deployed?

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

It’s that time a year again when thoughts turn to ways to honor our Veterans. Many of our older Veterans reside in state Veteran’s homes. These homes care for our Veterans and provide various levels of care. Many residents are just hindered by mobility and the ability to care for themselves while their minds remain as sharp as a tack. One area where there just isn’t enough funding is the activity fund which provides stimulating activities for the residents. Every Veteran’s Home has its own needs so check to see what they need. Visit the website (just google your state and Veteran’s Home) and look for information on volunteering and donations. After speaking with Terry Nisbet at the VA Home in Orting, Washington I got a sense of what you can do to help.

• Visit – Call and arrange a time to visit with a few friends. This does not require formal training and residents love to have someone stop by and chat. If you feel called to volunteer more there are training programs depending on what you will be doing.
• Memory Care and Music – This program provides and MP3 player with a curated playlist of the music from the Veteran’s favorite era. The needs for this program are iTunes gift cards which go to purchase songs that aren’t in their library and MP3 players.
• Headphones with 6 feet cords, no ear buds. Residents that have TVs in their rooms need to plug in, so they don’t disturb their roommates.
• Donations for the activity fund. This helps pay for activities for the Veterans like an outing for lunch at a local restaurant.
• Hand Made Cards – These are very popular particularly the ones made by children. Consider having your children make some and then take time to make a visit.

Electric Razors

• Pocket Talkers – These fit in a pocket and the resident wears headphones and it helps them hear better.

Each home has its own requirements. The VA home in Orting is requesting a Juiceman Juicer because they have a group interested in health and is currently learning about and drinking healthy juice. They are also looking to replace their large white canopy awnings for outdoor events. So, check in with your local VA home to see what their needs are. Consider asking for donations to purchase an item they might need. Most places get a buzz of activity around the holidays but remember Veterans live in the homes year-round and would love visitors any time. My father currently resides in a VA Home and he said there is lots of activity during the week with physical therapy, appointments etc., but the weekends are slow and boring. Weekends are a good time to visit.

Let’s not forget our Veterans especially those residing in VA homes. Many are from the Vietnam era where they faced many challenges without the support our military has today.

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

As Military Families we tend to gravitate towards our own and with multiple deployments and the stress of military life sometimes our military friends are the only ones that can understand what you are going through but having civilian friends are important too. They are often a source of information that your military friends may not know about the local area and having a civilian friend can just feel normal and get you away from talking about military life.

My friend Kim has been that friend for me. She is the one that knows all the cool things like the bakery that sells this unique cinnamon bread which is so tightly swirled it looks like the rings on a tree trunk. Kim knows all the locals go to a certain marina to get the best deal on crab. She is my go-to source of information for my local area. I love that she knows about the warehouse coat sale and so many other things.

Meeting civilian friends can be a challenge as many already have friends from 1^st grade or plenty of family in the area and just don’t have room for a new friend in their lives. Don’t get discouraged, there is always someone who will be open to a military friendship. So how do you meet new civilian friends? My top three places: church, school and the gym.

Church is a great place to meet people. We have always chosen to attend a church off the military installation. Sundays to me means getting away from the military culture even if it just an hour. Most church communities no matter what your faith have a variety of groups you can join. This is an easy way to meet new people as organizations always need volunteers. For families with small children many churches have a Mom’s Money Out for a small fee or a co-op where you volunteer in exchange for childcare. Working with other Moms gives you a chance to get to know each other and you have children in common.

Another way to meet friends is through your children’s school or sports team. We always sent our children to Catholic schools which had mandatory volunteer hours. I can remember working on the teacher appreciation luncheon and I met so many nice people. Volunteering at your PTA will help you meet other parents who care about education.

Over the years I’ve met lots of friends over shared workouts. Although I appreciate being able to use the gyms on post for free, sometimes it is just too much testosterone for me. Some workouts are more geared to meeting people than others, so you need to find what works for you. A fitness facility located near a coffee shop makes it easy to interact with people. “Oh, I saw you at the gym, how do you like Missy’s class”. It is a natural opening that elicits a response and maybe even a “Would you like to join us?”

Don’t be afraid to say, “I just moved here.” Asking advice on local things is an easy opener to get a conversation going. My friend, Kim and I started as casual acquaintances as she worked at my children’s school. After working with her on a volunteer project we became friends. The most recent thing I learned from her is the best neighborhood in the area. We both bought homes there and now walk in the mornings. Since we decided to retire I now have what I hope to be a lifetime friendship.

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

I ran a wine club for a few years for our military spouses’ club. Each month we would have a different theme but we always did a Halloween Candy Wine Tasting in October. This is super fun and a huge hit because who doesn’t love wine and chocolate. Decide for your event if you want to do a tasting or a pairing. You can Google Halloween candy wine tasting and a variety of charts and websites will come up. I personally like Vivino because not only does it provide a chart with the pairing it also provides tasting notes from partner sommeliers like Joel Caruso who pairs Pinot Noir with KitKats.

“Although variations of Pinot Noir can be dramatic, they always tend to carry a tense and nuanced red fruit quality. This makes the milk chocolate and wafer combo feel like a chocolate dipped raspberry pulled straight out of the fridge. I’d suggest terroir driven Pinot Noirs like those from Sonoma Coast or Burgundy that will bring out earthiness and tannin for a more complex pairing. Tannin is mellowed by the chocolate, and the earthy qualities can create a mushroom-flavored effect,” says Caruso on the  Vivino website.

To plan your event, decide which candies you will want to pair with wine. For a group pick about six candies and select mostly chocolate and try a few like starburst or jolly ranchers. Next pair with the wine. Reds go very well with chocolate while tart candies pair well with sweeter whites such as Moscato and gewürztraminer. Plan water for each guest and add one or two charcuterie platters with meats and cheeses with a French baguette to help break up the sweetness from all that candy. Provide each guest with a pen and small notebook or printed sheets to take notes with. I think it is important to have a leader read tasting notes like the one above from Vivino and have everyone taste one wine at a time. It is interesting to hear each person’s take on the wine you are tasting.

 For a more casual event, have a post Halloween impromptu wine get together with left over Halloween candy and have guests just bring a bottle of wine they have at home.  Make up your own pairings based on what everyone brought. It is a fun way to “wine” down after all the Halloween chaos.

If you want to learn more about wine check with your local military spouses club. Many have wine subclubs and it is a great way to gain more experience in a comfortable environment.

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

By Marguerite Cleveland

Alcoholic Beverages are a big part of military culture. From Right Arm nights, grog bowls, military balls to wine clubs there are plenty of opportunities to imbibe. Here are a few tips to keep you on the straight and narrow.

I’ll never forget one event when I was still in the Army and my boss was sent to the grog bowl way too many times and got totally trashed. It was so embarrassing as his behavior was atrocious and I remember feeling so bad for his wife.  So don’t be that guy.

1. The Grog Bowl – Know your limits. This foul concoction is super potent, think zombie shots on steroids. Most units now offer a non-alcoholic version and that may be your best option. Typically it is only the service member that is sent to the bowl. If you are a spouse plan to be the designated driver that night, Uber or stay a hotel near the venue.

2. Military Balls and other events. Although these events can be fun remember they are not prom. These are more like the office Christmas Party where people tend to let their hair down a bit. Just be aware that people will note your behavior and talk the next day. For a service member boorish behavior could have repercussions I your professional life.

3. Uber and designated drivers are your friends. Never drink and drive. Unlike the civilian world, your off duty activities can affect a service member’s career in a negative way. Getting a DUI can result in a letter of reprimand or an Article 15 which will follow you throughout your time in the military. Don’t let a beer ruin your career.

4. Coffees, Wine Club and other Spouse Drinking. Wine at a coffee, yes it is a thing. There are many opportunities for military spouses to get together and socialize. The key thing is to recognize whether an event is semi-official. Usually a coffee is a get together of military spouses whose service member is in the same unit. These can be fun but when it comes to imbibing adult beverages less is more. This is not the time to let your hair down. Wine Club is a more relaxed environment. These are everything from casual neighborhood/friends get togethers to more structured clubs.  This is a more fun acceptable time to let your hair down a bit.

5. How much to drink? Know your limits. My suggestion would be one or two drinks, beer or glasses of wine in an evening. For some one drink is enough while some people can handle two drinks. The key is not to get trashed, wasted, tanked or plastered at an event.

     How much do you think is appropriate to drink at a military social event? Have you ever seen someone cross the line by imbibing too much alcohol?

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com