November and December are full of excitement and busy schedules. These are also times of increase in cost burden. There are holiday meals, presents, and travel over the holidays that add stress and increases expenses on an already tight military family budget. Add in the stress of deployments and workups, it can be a lot for military families to take. There are two organizations that want to express their thanks to military families with holiday meals and toys for military children.

Operation Homefront – Holiday Meals

Operation Homefront’s Holiday Meals program was born out of a chance meeting a military family in a grocery store. The military family didn’t have enough money to cover the groceries on the conveyor belt and began to take items off when the person behind them gave them the money to cover the cost. That person was Ken Ruff, Vice President for National Accounts at Beam Suntory. After that, Ken presented to the Beam Suntory leadership the idea of partnering with Operation Homefront for a holiday meal program for military families like the one he helped in the grocery store in November of 2009. The program has grown since then to include more sponsors and volunteers to support a vast number of military families across the United States.

The Holiday Meal event is open to– Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve, post 9/11 wounded, ill, or injured service members actively serving and no longer serving in the military and transitioning service members within 12 months of their discharge. Some events restrict the rank to E1-E6, some are open to all ranks so be sure to check out the details for the event nearest you. Events are filling up, so make sure to check them out and sign up for the waitlist if interested.

To find a holiday meal drive near you, check out this page.

Operation Homefront – Holiday Toy Drive

The holiday toy drive from Operation Homefront extends the holiday spirit to the children of military service members that meet eligibility criteria. To be eligible to register for this event, check out the details specific to the event of interest. Some events are open to the service member must be E1-E6 active duty and some are open to all ranks. In most cases, all events are open to post 9/11 wounded, ill, or injured service members actively serving and no longer serving in the military.

These events are very popular and fill up quickly as they start at the beginning of December. Check the page to see if there is a local event near you. At the time of this writing events in Colorado are full, but events in New Orleans, select locations in California and North Carolina are open.

Donate to Operation Homefront

If you want to donate to Operation Homefront to support military families around the United States through their programs, donate here.

Soldier’s Angels – Adopt-A-Family

The Soldier’s Angels program is well-known for Treats for Troops, and also has an Adopt-A-Family program.

Eligibility

The program is open to all families of deployed service members, families of Post 9-11 wounded, ill and injured and veteran families enrolled in HUD/VASH programs.

– Deployed service members must not be scheduled to return from deployment prior to December 25, 2021, are E1-E6 rank, and demonstrate financial need

– Post 9-11 wounded, ill, or injured service members or veterans must have proof of wound, illness, or injury and demonstrate financial need

– a veteran family enrolled in the HUD/VASH program must provide a letter of eligibility and demonstrate financial need

How to Apply

Families need to register for an account on Soldier’s Angels and complete the requested documents.

Adopt-A-Family

If you are looking for a way to support a military family this year, you can register to adopt a military family this holiday season. By registering to adopt a family, you are committing to giving gifts for every child and a grocery gift card to assist the family with the cost of a holiday meal.

There have been numerous news articles on the expected shipping delays that will affect this holiday season. The effect of the shipping issues is already being seen in the blank spaces in grocery stores and strange mail delays from online shipping retailers. While the news states that these delays will lead to a less joyous holiday season, it doesn’t have to be the case. You don’t have to give things this holiday season – you can give time instead.

Annual Passes

Chances are as a military family you have moved in the last few years. Time to check out your new locale but support local, and give the gift of time through an annual pass. Is there a museum, zoo, aquarium, historic home, or theme park near you? Consider getting an annual pass for your family. This allows you to explore at your own pace. Bonus if you are tired, or the kids are acting up, you can go home without feeling guilty that you spent all that money on tickets and then aren’t staying the whole day. An annual pass allows you to plan time together as a family. If you have an annual pass to a large zoo, plan days to just see mammals or birds or amphibians. If you get an annual pass to a theme park, stick to one land a day as a fun way to explore without stressing about doing it all. Use the annual pass at the historic home to check out the home during the different seasons to learn about that historical time period during that season. Annual passes support the local business themselves, and in getting passes to local aquariums or zoos you are often supporting the larger organizations to support wildlife around the world.

Day Trips

If an annual pass is not your speed, plan out day trips locally as a gift this year. You can get tickets, if they don’t expire by the end of the calendar year, and plan out an itinerary. Consider even asking for leave on those days now so you can commit to taking those day trips together. Want to spend a little less? Check out the National Parks near you. There are no-fee or low-fee passes for active military and veterans and can be used at any National Park. Plan out hikes or even overnight camping. The fact is time goes by quicker than we think it does. It’s already the holiday season this year, so let’s plan out a time together. You don’t have to limit this to just family. If you have local friends you want to gift an awesome gift to, consider planning out time together on a hike or meeting at a local favorite spot. Have family coming to visit in the coming year, gift the itinerary for a day trip all planned out – and when they come to visit purchase the tickets. It’s less stuff to ship, and in general, time together is why the family is coming to visit you in the first place.

Volunteer

Consider volunteering as a family this year. If you aren’t sure where to start, look on base. Organizations like the USO, Blue Star Families or Operation Help A Hero may be on your local installation and looking for volunteers to help with the programming. This supports the local community and ensures the spirit of giving in your family.

Give Homemade

There is nothing more personal than sharing a family recipe with others. Consider writing the recipe card down and sharing a mix of the item. Layer the items for cookies or brownies in mason jars and include the recipe so the item can be made, and the recipe is kept and repeated. Gifting to a large group of people at work? Consider mason jars filled with homemade hot cocoa mix. You can even add little marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, or mint chips to mix up and provide a variety.  Giving the gift of homemade is giving your time, effort, and the item. The heartfelt gesture is sure to be appreciated.

Photo Albums

The best part about this one is that is can be done and gifted no matter where you live through the gift that is technology. Build a photo album digitally with pictures of your friends or family and send them the link. Let them choose what they would like in regards to photo album size and then ship directly to them. There is still shipping involved, but they can enjoy the link digitally. Or if you prefer, build an album with just the files like Google Photos. You can jointly share the photos and enjoy reflecting on the time together.

Giving time through these items isn’t just kind, but also budget-friendly and in many cases eco-friendly. How will you give time this holiday season?

Giving Tuesday this year is occurring on November 30, 2021. The day is designated as a day for generosity – a day to donate to the organizations you hold close and desire to uplift. There is no amount too small or too large to donate to the nonprofits on Giving Tuesday, and well any day of the year. This year consider donating to organizations that support the military families and military community. They provide resources, comfort in times of need and support. Check out these organizations this Giving Tuesday.  

The American Legion is an organization that supports active duty service members as well as veterans, military families through scholarships and sports.

The Armed Services YMCA, or ASYMCA, supports military families on base and off with retreats for military children at a reduced cost, food supplies, clothing, and toys to children. Not to mention the programs for youth and teens. You can select to donate to the ASYMCA near you or to the larger organization that can share the donations to where it is needed.

Blue Star Families supports families around the U.S. with programming for military children and their families. If you have ever gone to a museum with free admission in the summer for the military, that is thanks to the joint venture of Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts. The organization also does annual research to determine what the needs of the current military family are and shares that with legislators in Washington when policies are discussed.

The Fisher House Foundation provides free or low-cost lodging to active duty military and veterans who travel for medical treatment and military treatment facilities. It’s like the Ronald McDonald House for military families – anticipating the needs of the military family.

The Gary Sinise Foundation offers unique programming to active duty military, veterans, their families as well as first responders and their families. If you have watched Forrest Gump, then you are familiar with the character Lt. Dan. Gary Sinise is the actor for that part and after the events of 9/11, he wanted to do more to honor the military and first responder families impacted. In 2011, the Gay Sinise Foundation was formed. From their RISE (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program, Relief and Resiliency program to outreach programs like concerts put on by Gary Sinise himself, the Foundation supports military families in various ways. You can even give in a bigger way by creating a fundraiser if donations alone don’t seem like enough.

The Honor Flight Network is back to providing flights to veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials of their respective wars. They use donations to cover costs of flights, hotels, food, and lodging for the veteran and the help they need while traveling.

Hope for Warriors is a nonprofit that supports wounded combat veterans and their families and the families of those killed in action. For the combat veterans and their families, their focus is on the transition out of the military, health and wellness, and connections to resources in the community.  Health and wellness includes caregiver support in addition to helping the wounded combat veterans. For those who have lost family members, the organization supports and provides resources within and outside the military community.  

The National Military Family Association supports the active duty military family with programming like Spouse Scholarships, Operation Purple Camps for military kids, Operation Purple Family Retreats, and Operation Purple Healing Adventures for the military family. Being headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, they also advocate for policies in Washington that directly affect military families like childcare, food insecurity, and healthcare coverage for young adults. 

Operation Help a Hero supports military families through various programming like OHH Baby Showers, Operation Enduring Support, OHH Camp Joy, Comfort for the Caregiver, Operation Rack Pack (providing supplies to returning military from deployment), and Operation Christmas Spirit, just to name a few. In addition to donating money, you can donate time to volunteer through your local programming.

The Semper Fi & America’s Fund aids through programming and support to combat wounded, ill, and injured service members and their family members, and veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces. Healthcare case managers and visiting nurses are just part of the team that makes up the Semper Fi Fund.

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, provides support, resources, and programming to the military family grieving the loss of their active duty military member. TAPS holds programming like Good Grief Camp, in addition to seminars and retreats for adults and youth throughout the country.

The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was founded in 1991 and has continued to aid children in need across the United States by providing toys at Christmas. You can donate unwrapped, sealed toys or funds to help purchase toys. It’s a donation that provides cheer during a giving season.

The USO is known as an ambassador to active duty military families dating back to World War II. The organization provides programming through their local chapters that support their local community and unite community resources with the military family. They welcome military units back from deployment, provide programming to military children and even host a Santa’s Workshop for military kids to shop for their parents. All the programming differs based on the branch, but you can search which USO branch is near you to learn more.

Giving Tuesday is a great time to show support for your military community in a way that supports them, and may even support your family! Where will you give to you on Giving Tuesday?

There are several articles on how to decorate and what to include in a package to a deployed service member. They need and desire the comforts of home, and this is something that should be shared. The other group who enjoy care packages from home are the military families serving overseas. While there are amazing places to explore and new foods to try, it is nice to get a taste of the American home every now and again. If you have military friends living overseas, curate a care package for them with a taste of home with these items.

What To Send

What to send depends on the friends you are sending the package to. If there are favorite items from a local store that they enjoy, send those. Here are a few suggestions of items that those who have lived overseas or are living overseas enjoy:

–Chick Fil A Sauce – while there are plenty of copycat recipes out there, there is nothing quite like the real deal. Now there are even bottled and sealed bottles of sauce that can be purchased at grocery stores and Chick Fil A branches. Whether you are sending sauce packets or bottles, make sure to seal them in plastic bags to avoid leakage from ruining the entire contents of your bag.

– Local Coffee – If your friends are caffeine aficionados, it is fun to send some local treats. Make sure the bags or canisters are sealed. If you are sending grounds, place the bag or canisters in a plastic bag to catch any loose grounds that may escape with shipping.

– Local treats – Like local coffee, if there is a local candy or chocolate shop, support the small business near you and send some fun treats. Even if your friends are living in a location with good chocolate, it doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy something different from home.

– Spice Mixes – While Armed Forces living overseas do have Commissary privileges to purchase American products, the long period of shipping sometimes leads to empty shelves from shipping delays. Making homemade spice mixes in little jars is a nice way to share a personal touch along with providing a sometimes-needed item. If you are sending glass jars, make sure to cushion the items. Cleaned peanut butter containers are plastic, seal well, and can be used in lieu of glass. Again, make sure to put the jar in a plastic bag as pressures in shipping can sometimes lead to loose lids.

–Comfort Treats – If your friend enjoys tea, or a certain cookie they may not be able to get where they are currently living, it is a nice gesture to include these in their package.

– A taste of where you are living – Include a couple of other local treats to showcase where you are currently living. Maybe a BBQ mix when living in the south, or a locally made candle (be sure to seal it). Sharing a piece of where you currently call home is a fun way to keep in touch with your friends no matter where they live.

What NOT to Send

It should go without saying, but going to say it for old times’ sake. Do not send any alcohol, cigarettes, loose batteries, hazardous material or any fresh item that will go bad before its arrival in your boxes. If you are sending items with batteries in it, it is best to send it in the original sealed packaging for safety.

Don’t Forget to Decorate

If you are sending seasonal treats in the box, decorate the sides of the inside of the boxes with seasonally appropriate stickers. Write jokes on the inside of the flaps for a fun addition – don’t forget to add the punchline on the flaps as well! Decorate the outside sides of the box with drawings and stickers as well – just be sure to leave the address area clear of clutter so the address can be read easily.

Don’t Forget the Customs Form

When sending items overseas, a customs form must be included. Even if you are sending to armed forces overseas who are receiving mail through the military post, it is leaving the United States mail and everything must be declared. The package will go through the United States Postal Service and then change hands to a military post. The military post then ships the mail to the appropriate location when moving other goods to that base. Make sure to check the USPS guidelines for what items can be mailed internationally and specifically to that country. You will need to know the item types and approximate cost. No need to write each item individually. You can group items like “books” or “coffee” with approximate costs on each line.

Within the military community, TRICARE is known for the health coverage for active-duty families and their dependents. It is the constant coverage for medical and mental health benefits.

When a service member retires, does that coverage change? If the service member retired with benefits and retains TRICARE coverage, then TRICARE covers the retiree and their dependents.

Before the age of 65

When service members retire with benefits, there are several eligible health care plans to choose from. TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select, US Family Health Plan (depending on locations), TRICARE for Life and TRICARE Select Overseas are options, depending on the location of the service member and other eligibilities. For example, a retired service member is only eligible for TRICARE for Life before the age of 65 if they are eligible for TRICARE and they have both Medicare Part A and B. Most military retirees utilize TRICARE Prime, meaning they are near a military base that they are able to receive medical care at, or TRICARE Select, meaning they are using TRICARE to be seen by civilian providers whether they are near a military base or not.

What is covered?

Mental Health coverage for retirees under the age of 65 is similar to those on active-duty service utilizing TRICARE for coverage. What is covered by TRICARE’s plans is covered here. This includes rehabilitation therapy, family therapy, intensive outpatient programs, and partial hospitalization therapy. This does not mean that there are no out-of-pocket charges for these treatments. On the whole, there is a contracted rate with in-network providers that accept the rate that TRICARE will reimburse for this.

What isn’t covered?

There are several exclusions for what TRICARE does not cover. Notably, counseling services like nutritional counseling, stress management, and marital therapy are not covered by TRICARE. For active duty service members, there are other resources that can be utilized to provide these services if needed. The full list of what is not covered is listed here.

What if the services needed are not covered?

If marital therapy is needed and it is not covered by TRICARE, a referral to family therapy from the primary care provider may help get this covered. Family therapy is a covered benefit when it is used for the benefit of the individual’s mental health. Other ways of receiving marital counseling may be available through a place of worship. Non-denominational churches may offer affordable counseling services. Veteran’s Affairs hospitals and clinics often have a chaplain on staff or within their network that they can refer to as well for counseling.

What about over the age of 65?

Once Medicare-eligible individuals read the age of 65 and are entitled to Medicare, the beneficiaries are automatically enrolled in TRICARE for Life. This means Medicare becomes the primary payer for medical costs. TRICARE will become the secondary payer, or the last if the beneficiary carries another health care insurance.

What does this mean for mental health coverage?

For beneficiaries with TRICARE for Life coverage, Medicare becomes the primary payer. This means that Medicare helps pay for and cover the following:

• Depression screening by a provider
• Psychiatric Evaluation
• Individual and group psychotherapy
• Family counseling, if the main purpose of treatment is for the individual
• Medication Management

Whatever costs Medicare doesn’t cover, can be billed to TRICARE. Traditionally TRICARE covers mental health services that are medically required that include:

• Psychotherapy, to include individual, group, and family/joint sessions
• Psychological Testing
• Medication-assisted treatment

What is NOT covered by Medicare or TRICARE in regards to mental health coverage

• Art Therapy
• Music Therapy
• Dance Therapy
• Occupational Therapy

The only time these therapies would be covered is if they are part of a medically required inpatient, partial hospitalization, or intensive outpatient program which are covered.

What are the costs?

Of the services listed above, the only 100% covered service with no cost to the individual is the annual depression screening by a provider. For every other service, the individual pays 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. This copay can be submitted to TRICARE for Life for coverage, and they may reimburse for that cost.

Don’t Forget Telehealth

Tricare has partnered with Telemynd for online counseling and mental health services. This telehealth partner covers all TRICARE eligible beneficiaries for services without copays or co-shares. Telemynd does not require a referral or authorization as of this writing. They can provide counseling for grief, stress, work, family issues in addition to depression and anxiety.

While it isn’t always easy to understand where to go for services, there are some covered services available for retirees. Always ask your primary care provider for options and services too as they know your local area. Mental health is part of your physical health.

It’s that time of year again. The temperatures are cooler, pumpkins are making an appearance in grocery stores and pictures of children in pumpkin patches are filling your social media feed. It’s Halloween time! Many families have traditions surrounding Halloween time. A tradition that can be done no matter where you live is donating candy to the troops.

Donate Halloween Candy

• Treats for Troops – Treats for Troops is run by Soldier’s Angels. Local businesses opt to participate in the program and some even offer buyback prizes. Check out your local dental office or gym to see if they are offering this. Anyone who donates will receive a tax-deductible receipt for the donation. Kids earning treats, less sugared treats, and passing on a treat to those who could use a pick-me-up all while earning a tax-deduction – that is a win all around.  

Want to go further and take candy bags for the troops? Make it a family activity, or perhaps gather friends in a safe setting to make treat bags with assorted treats inside. Once the bags are complete, send candy bags to

Soldiers’ Angels Candy

2895 NE Loop 410, Suite 107

San Antonio, TX 72818

• Operation Gratitude  – Individuals, businesses or groups can register to donate candy. Once registered, you will receive an email with the details on where to send the treats. Donors are matched with local military units, first responders, veteran organizations or can ship to the candy processing center in Los Angeles.

Military units, hospitals, first responder units, and veteran organizations can request candy donations from the same organization

• Halloween Candy Buy Back  – Dental offices often to participate in this program, offering coupons for goods or services for a candy donation. The candy donations are then provided to non-profit veteran organizations across the country.
• Operation Shoebox – Operation Shoebox needs donations all year long for the care packages they send to troops. You can also adopt a troop specifically to send packages directly. If you are wanting to send donations to the organization directly, they can be sent to:

Attn: Receiving

8360 East Highway 25

Belleview, FL 34420

And More!

Send much-desired caffeine to the troops

• Alpha Coffee: The veteran-owned business knows exactly what troops want no matter where they are stationed. You can send a box of coffee for $50.00 to deployed troops.
• Blackout Coffee: Through Operation Blackout, you can select someone you know deployed to send coffee to. Troops can also request a coffee donation while overseas for their unit.
• Dunkin’ Donuts: When you submit a name of a deployed unit to them, they will send some Original blend coffee.
• Black Rifle Coffee: The SOF-owned coffee joint with a sense of humor has a donation request form that deployed troops can request a caffeine jolt.

What are your go-to ways to share sweets and treats with the troops?

PCS season means military families have been uprooted again and are in new homes across the world. The homes come in various sizes of small apartments in Germany to four story townhouses in Alexandria. The varying sizes and layouts of the homes provide another opportunity to make the new house a home. When it is a rental, you have to consider what changes can be temporary and easily removed, or ask for permission from the landlord to make the changes more permanent. Here are some ideas.

Removable Wallpaper

Wallpaper that can be repositioned easily is a total win. It adds a temporary change that is easily removed while adding personalization. This is a total win in the kitchen if you do not have a backsplash – just peel it off when you go to leave and viola! – clean walls! Want to make an accent wall? Try it with wallpaper! Again, it is removed easily because of the type of wallpaper it is. This may not work on textured walls as well, so keep that in mind as you plan your changes.

Wall Stickers

Especially for children’s rooms or an accent area, wall stickers are great because they are like removable wallpaper – they can be repositioned easily, and are often small enough that it will stick to textured walls. They can add personality quickly, easily, and for a relatively affordable price all with the ability to change it up again when desired.

Curtains

Adding curtains adds privacy, savings on heat and air conditioning, and makes a house feel more like home. Now, not all windows are the same size and with moving into homes of varying sizes, the window sizes will change too. Try to use what curtains you had before if you can – if the window is smaller than your curtains, consider hanging up a curtain rod higher to give the look of a taller window. This isn’t always easier said than done, but it is certainly better for the budget to use what you have.

Outdoor Garden

Whether you have a patio, deck, or yard, having an outdoor space without the clutter of boxes or pictures laying against the wall helps in helping to make a house a home. Buying plants can add up over the visits to the home improvement store, so finding a Buy Nothing or Freecycle group is a great way to get cuttings of plants like succulents or herbs like Rosemary where plants can be regrown from the cuttings. A bonus that gardening is a known stress reliever is the perfect treatment for the post-PCS season.

Change up Kitchen Knobs

An affordable changeover in the kitchen is swapping out the kitchen knobs. If the knobs are broken or covered in years of grime that won’t come clean, it is sometimes less time-consuming to change out the kitchen knobs. It can brighten a place easily.

Remove Cabinet Doors

If you aren’t a fan of the cabinet doors in your rental, consider removing them altogether and storing them. Open cabinets and shelving are a trend right now. You can even add removable wallpaper to the back of the shelves to add more personalization.

Indoor Plants

Just like having a place to “escape” to outside, adding an indoor plant adds greenery, air, and light to the space. An indoor tree in the entryway makes it feel more welcoming.

Change up the Shower Heads

The standard shower heads in most rental homes are the basic contractor shower head. Adding a removable shower head makes for both a more enjoyable shower and an easier way to clean the shower.

Change up Light Covers

Apartment complexes and on-base housing alike have the same lighting fixtures. Mixing up the lighting with different light covers adds ambiance and personalization. If you totally remove the light fixture, make sure to save the old one in a spot you will remember so you can swap it out again before you move.

Change up the Light Bulbs

The standard light bulbs aren’t just bright and, in your face, but also draining on the electricity bill. Switch to LED bulbs that will make your pocketbook happier and prevent brassy lighting.

Under Cabinet Lighting

There are lighting strips that can be mounted by adhesive strips, which can be removed easily with the next move. These are typically battery operated so do not require any wiring or drilling, and can be easily turned on with a motion sensor or pressing. The lighting change adds ambient lighting and makes chopping or reading from a recipe book a lot easier.

What are your favorite ways to personalize your new rental?