When President Obama announced that thousands of soldiers from Iraq will return home this year, Matthew Kirk, a Hoboken resident, began preparing for the peak period for a charity he is part of called “Operation Homefront.”
Kirk is the treasurer of Operation Homefront Tristate, a charity that helps soldiers deal with problems back at home while they serve their country overseas, and also assists when they arrive back home in America.
This year, for Veterans Day, Operation Homefront launched a fundraiser where they approached companies and asked if their employees could wear jeans in exchange for a $5 donation to the charity.
For more information about the charity, visit OperationHomefront.net/Tristate.
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As part of the Jeans Day, the companies that take part in the fundraiser also have the opportunity to sign a banner that is sent to soldiers abroad. Last year, in a “dry run” edition of the fundraiser, Operation Homefront Tristate raised over $10,000.
Operation Homefront Tristate raises millions of dollars in fundraising with only two full-time employees and two part-time employees. Volunteers complete the large portion of Operation Homefront’s work.
“There’s never a chance that the money goes to the wrong place or it isn’t being spent the right way,” Kirk said. “There’s always that risk with charities but we’re pretty mindful that the dollars get spent the right way here.”
The employees work close to bases in New Jersey and New York, Kirk said, but volunteers like him are spread throughout the tri-state area.
“Ninety five cents of every dollar goes to charity,” Kirk said.
‘Struck a chord’ with him
Kirk became involved in the charity after his wife read about the group on the Hoboken Moms Yahoo group, a popular Internet destination for Hoboken parents.
“For me, I had heard about the group, and you hear some terrible stories about military families not being taken care of as much as people think they are,” Kirk said. “It just struck a chord with me personally.”
Operation Homefront has the highest rating on Charity Navigator, an independent assessor.
As an example of what they do to help, Kirk said the charity recently signed a check for $10,000 to a contractor to help someone replace the foundation on their house.
“We also do a lot of car repairs,” Kirk said. “We handed out 2,300 backpacks for children in families in the military; we do that every year.”
Kirk said the group has even helped organize baby showers for future moms when their husbands are abroad.
Operation Homefront Tristate is funded by private donations, corporations, and other foundations, Kirk said.
He said that the next few months will likely be one of the busier times for the charity.
“The most need for help comes when soldiers come home,” Kirk said. “There are things could have gone wrong with the house, and other problems at home that we try to help out with.”
Many fundraisers
Jeans Day is not the only fundraiser that Operation Homefront operates.
“Between Jeans Day and Christmas we have an ‘Adopt a Family’ fundraiser where people can volunteer to bring presents or a holiday meal for a family,” Kirk said. “We also have a holiday toy drive. We’re constantly having fundraisers through the year.”
Operation Homefront Tristate is one of 23 chapters across the nation. The clients for the charity are the lowest paid service members, according to an Operation Homefront release.
The Tristate chapter of Operation Homefront was founded in July 2006, and the charity has grown ever since that time. The charity provides financial assistance, emergency food, emergency home repairs, critical baby items, home and appliance repair, furniture, local moving assistance, and even holds community events as part of their outreach.
The local charity has helped over 2,000 families in the tri-state area. In 2011, the charity helped 49 military families, providing them with a total of almost $30,000 in assistance.
For more information about the charity, visit OperationHomefront.net/Tristate.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com