Family Assistant Center - Missouri National Guard

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         16 August 2011

Hawkeye Trader

101 E. Main Street

Pulaski, Iowa  52584

When you asked me to tell you about the families we were able to help with the kind donations from your readers I was excited to tell you.  You have helped over 20 Military Families with your donation!

The first person we were able to help was a single mother with 5 children who had previously been deployed to Kosovo and Afghanistan.  After her deployments she had trouble finding a full time job and was working temporary jobs to pay the bills, she had gotten behind on her rent payment and was being threatened with eviction on December 24 if she didn’t pay the bill in full (approximately 1 ½ months rent).  We were able to pay that for her and helped her find a full time job so she could afford the house from that point on.  We also made sure she had Christmas gifts for her family.

The next person we helped was a retired OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) veteran who was not able to pay their utility bill and had received a shutoff notice.  We paid their bill and found a financial counselor to help them with a budget. 

We used the rest of the money to purchase gas cards and Wal-Mart gift cards.  The gas cards were used to help wounded warriors get to VA appointments and for young soldiers whose only job in this economy is their weekend drills to get back and forth to drill.  The Wal-Mart gift cards were given to the families using the Family PX (Food Pantry) so that they could buy the meat for their holiday meals.

The Mid-Missouri Family PX was started in 2003 with the help of the VFW’s Unmet Needs program to provide food and household supplies to military families.  They told me if I would run it they would keep the shelves full and they did for the first 2 years, then Hurricane Katrina hit and all their corporate sponsors dried up as they were sending to the Hurricane victims instead.  We have remained open with the help of our local VFWs, their Auxiliaries, Operation Homefront, food drives the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have had for us and with private donations.   We serve all branches of the military and currently serve approximately 50-65 families a month. 

We try to supply basic needs (food, diapers, paper products, personal hygiene items, household cleaning supplies) and help with extra expenses (school supplies, Halloween costumes, Christmas toys, Easter baskets) and the occasional emergency needs (rent, utility bills, gas, etc). 

Your kind donations help us continue to serve our Military Members and their families and we can’t thank you enough.   You have touched the lives of so many of our service members and their families.  We are so very grateful to you and your readers.

Sincerely,

Judy Minard
Family Assistance Specialist
MPSC Contractor
Missouri National Guard Family Program
Blue Armory FAC
801  Armory Drive
Jefferson City, MO  65109

Click here for full details on how to make a donation or become a sponsor. 

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