CLARKSVILLE, TN – National nonprofit Operation Homefront, with the support of local sponsor UBS and CSX, will distribute 600 backpacks filled with essential school supplies to local military children at the Clarksville Regional Airport on Friday, July 28, as part of their 16th annual Back-to-School Brigade. This year, Operation Homefront aims to distribute its 550,000th backpack since the program began in 2008, saving families more than $60 million in back-to-school expenses.
The Back-to-School Brigade program helps alleviate the costs of school supplies during what can be a financially stressful season. While everyone is feeling the pinch of inflation, new reports, including this one by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, show that military families are being disproportionately impacted. Frequent deployments and changes in station bring overwhelming transition to new communities, new schools, and new careers. This along with inflation and tightened budgets takes a huge toll on military families. Our Back-to-School Brigade program, supported nationally by CSX through their Pride in Service community investment initiative, ensures military children have the resources they need to succeed in school while easing the financial burden felt by their parents.
In preparation for the event, UBS employees in Nashville packed 600 backpacks and CSX employee volunteers packed school supplies for distribution to 1200 military children in Clarksville, TN; Fayetteville, NC; and Baltimore, MD earlier this month. National partners supporting Operation Homefront’s Back-to-School Brigade® events around the country include Southern New Hampshire University, Dollar Tree, Inc., CSX, and Kellogg’s.