During the holiday season, it’s easy to get caught up in all the commercialization. If your family and/or organization would like an alternative to focus on, why not consider doing something for our military families.

Regardless of how one feels about the war, most all agree it’s important to show our support for military service members and their families. These families feel the stress and strain of deployment, whether they have a family member currently deployed or not. Families with a service member away from home experience constant reminders a family member is missing. As individuals, and as members of local organizations and communities, we can all do something to show our support. Consider offering a welcoming hand during this season of giving and peace.

The UNH Cooperative Extension, Operation: Military Kids (OMK) program has a strong partnership with National Guard and Reserve Family Programs and shares the goal of active support for the youth and families of military members.

OMK also collaborates with many community groups, agencies, the spiritual community, schools, youth organizations and the American Legion to reach out to military youth before, during and after their parents are deployed. OMK creates networks of support through social, recreational, and educational opportunities and acts as a resource for military families.

OMK also works to create community awareness and foster an understanding about the impact of the deployment cycle. We can help you and your organization get involved with supporting military families.

Following are some suggestions of what you can do this holiday season to offer support, not only for those soldiers deployed, but for their military families struggling at home. There are many things youth, neighbors and other community members can do to help military families during this stressful holiday season and throughout the year. Remember parents who may have a son or daughter deployed, as well as the brothers, sisters, grandparents, and close friends that are equally concerned. They would all appreciate knowing someone is thinking about them and their loved one who is away serving their country. Here are the suggestions:

• Invite a military family to dinner or better yet, bring one to them.
• Create cards or communicate messages of encouragement during these challenging times.
• Offer to transport the children to extracurricular activities.
• Provide babysitting for a military family you know.
• Offer to “adopt” a family in need of assistance.
• “Adopt” a soldier overseas and send necessity items periodically.
• Create a video message or take a holiday picture of a military family and send it to their loved one stationed overseas.
• Write a letter to a service member.
• Get your spiritual community, organization, club or local service group involved.
• Create a “keep in touch” basket filled with long distance calling cards, stationary and children’s art supplies for the family to use when communicating with their deployed family member.
• Provide a foster home for the pet of a service member.
• Shovel snow or plow the driveways of families who have a service member overseas.
• Say thank you to military service members, and remember, the families and children of military members serve too so thank them as well.

Some Web sites you might find particularly helpful for ideas, other links and help in knowing how to send a letter or a package to a service member overseas are:

http://www.anysoldier.com/

http://www.americasupportsyou.mil

http://www.operationshoebox.com

UNH Cooperative Extension offers opportunities to learn about deployment and ways in which organizations can get involved to support military families. We conduct programs to help groups gain insight into military culture, the deployment cycle, and suggest ways to understand and meet the needs of military kids.

We also partner with local groups to create opportunities for military families to get together and just have fun. In addition, we strive to give a “Hero Pack” to all children who have a military family member deployed. These backpacks are filled with both fun and useful donated items to help kids keep in touch with a deployed family member. Contact UNH Cooperative Extension if you would be interested in being a part of our support efforts. Email charlotte.cross@unh.edu or call (603) 862-2495 for more information.

By Charlotte W. Cross, Extension Professor/Specialist, 4-H Youth Development