LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A non-profit is helping students from local military families prepare for the upcoming school year.
Operation Homefront welcomed more than 400 children to its annual Back to School Brigade event, providing each student with a backpack filled with school supplies and a gift card for any additional items needed for specific classes.
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Why military families face added challenges
Amanda Castilliano, senior regional operations manager for Operation Homefront, said the financial strain of back-to-school shopping hits military families differently than others.
“Back-to-school season is expensive for any family, but military families also have unique challenges like moving, transitioning out of the service, and just integrating into the community,” Castilliano said. “So this is our way to, one, say thank you to our service members and our veterans and their families, but also to relieve that financial burden that accompanies the back-to-school season.”
Program history
Operation Homefront launched the Back to School Brigade program in 2008. Since then, the organization has distributed more than 630,000 backpacks to military children, saving families more than $60 million.
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