Military members and families make a lot of sacrifices. They make the decision to protect their country. This often means spending time overseas and skipping important holidays and milestones. Many civilian families want to increase their level of appreciation, but do not know how they can help. There are actually many ways that you can show your appreciation for all that military members and their families do.
Express your appreciation
The easiest way to show your appreciation is to express it. Simply telling a person in uniform or a military family that you appreciate their service can do wonders. This form of gratitude does not cost anything and it does not require you to go out of your way to assist anyone. Most military families appreciate when civilians show and express their appreciation, even in the smallest ways.
Unplanned ways of helping military families
Helping military families does not have to be a planned process. If you are out grabbing a coffee and notice a person in uniform behind you, simply offer to pay for their coffee. If you see a military family member come into a shop, simply walk up and shake their hand. Showing gratitude and appreciation does not have to be planned. You never know when you will run across a family that has sacrificed everything for the countries freedom.
Donate your unused clothing items
Did you know that the unused clothing items in your household can also assist with helping military families? Charitable clothing donations help to provide clothing to those families in need. The clothes donations can also be sold to raise additional funds for helping military families. Americans send 10.5 million tons of clothing to landfills every year. Instead of throwing out your unused clothing, you can turn it into something good for those in need.
Donate your unused household items
In addition to donating charity clothing donations, you can also donate housing items that you no longer need. Many donated products are given a new life in developing nations where individuals purchase used American goods for pennies on the dollar. Internationally, more than 14.3 million tons of donated American textiles help to clothe people and families worldwide. Many of these people are those serving in the U.S. military. Even when the goods make it to people that are not a part of the U.S. military, the funds raised can go back into helping military families. Household items can include office equipment, household furniture, and even kitchen appliances like blenders, toasters, and countertop ovens.
Financially support military organizations
There are a couple of charitable donation organizations that specifically support military families. If you want to help these families, you can always donate financial support to them. Clothing and household donations do not meet all charity needs and funds are still needed for things like shelter, medical care, and educational expenses. Many veterans are released from their service with minimal employment opportunities. Funded programs can help to increase their job skills, thus helping them gain civilian employment.
Total giving to charitable organizations was $358.38 billion in 2014 alone. While this might seem like an impressive charitable amount, there are still many people left with needs. Some of these people are military members and their families. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways that you can help. Even donating things like your time, unused clothing items, and household products can be of valuable assistance in helping military families.