With the memorial of 9/11 soon approaching, many are thinking of ways that they can do something special to honor our service men and women. Volunteering time, donating money to organizations, and getting involved in local community outreaches that show morale support for our troops are all ways that people get involved. Now you can also help our troops through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Commonly known as the AAFES, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service offers a unique service entitled, “Gifts from the Homefront”. These are gift certificates that are distributed to military personnel. The gift certificates are used at AAFES food and retail stores, and may be used worldwide. This is an excellent way to send a gift to a serviceman or woman that is helpful as well as beneficial.

Another great benefit of giving the Gifts from the Homefront Certificates is the fact that if you don’t know whom to choose for a recipient, the organization will send your donation to a service man or woman for you. They are connected with Air Force members through the Air Force Aid Society, the American Red Cross, and the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, Fisher House Foundation, INC., Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Operation Homefront, Operation Interdependence, Soldier and Family Assistance Center, USA Cares, and the United Service Organization (USO). You can choose from any of these well-known and trusted organizations and place your donation through them.

A great idea is to have many people in your local community, businesses, government organizations get together and put your funds together to donate to the Gift Certificate program. It truly is one way in which you can rest assured that the recipients would benefit and derive great use from your contribution.

Another great aspect of Gifts from the Homefront is that they have great customer service representatives, and if you need to ask them a question regarding donating, you can call them at their (877) number. To gain a better understanding of how your donations and certificates are distributed, here is a break down according to all of the organizations that are involved.

The organizations that are responsible for distributing the certificates to military personnel include the American Red Cross and Operation Interdependence. If you donate to these organizations, you can rest assured the certificates will be distributed to soldiers that are deployed.

The following organizations distribute the certificates to help assist military members as well as their families: The Air Force Aid Society and Operation Homefront. The next organizations distribute gift certificates to soldiers and their families that are wounded and who are recovering in military facilities and VA hospitals. These organizations include: Fisher House, Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, and Military Members Participating in USO Programs. Finally, if you would like to donate your certificates to be used specifically for food and groceries, you can donate through the DECA Gift of Groceries Program.

Knowing exactly where your donation is going can mean a great deal to certain people. When contributing through Gifts from the Homefront, you can rest assured that you know where your donation is headed.