Operation Homefront and Dollar Tree, Inc. Join Forces Again to Help Military Children Start Strong and Stay Strong for Back-to-school

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CHESAPEAKE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The annual Back-to-School Brigade® program from Operation Homefront returns to serve military families across the nation. The national nonprofit has partnered with Dollar Tree for more than a dozen years to collect school supplies and distribute them to military children.

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From mid-July through August, customer-purchased supplies at more than 7,600 participating Dollar Tree stores nationwide will be donated to Operation Homefront. The school supplies will be collected by Operation Homefront volunteers and distributed to military families at more than 130 Back-to-School Brigade® events and through local community partnerships across the U.S. this summer.

“Dollar Tree is thrilled to join our generous customers to partner with Operation Homefront for the 13th year to ease the back-to-school transition for military families,” said Chelle Davis, Dollar Tree spokesperson. “We look forward to the opportunity to work alongside Operation Homefront to provide support for military families who selflessly serve our country, so that they can start strong and stay strong this back-to-school season and beyond.”

This year, Operation Homefront will hit a major milestone by providing its 450,000th backpack to a military child, saving military families more than $50 million in back-to-school expenses since the program launched in 2008.

Like in 2020, this year’s Back-to-School Brigade® events will continue to adhere with federal, state, and local COVID-19 guidelines. Most of the events will be delivered in a drive-through format, with volunteers following CDC guidelines.

“We are incredibly grateful for all Dollar Tree and their supportive customers have done and continue to do to bring our important work to improve the lives of our military families to life,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., President and CEO of Operation Homefront. “As the pandemic continues to create significant and often overwhelming financial hardships on our military families, the entire Dollar Tree family shares our unwavering commitment to helping this very special and deserving group in their time of need for all they have done for all of us in our nation’s time of need.”

Dollar Tree is a longtime supporter of our nation’s military families. Since the partnership began in 2006, Dollar Tree and its generous customers have provided millions of dollars and in-kind support to recurring programs. Moreover, Dollar Tree has supported Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance program for military families in need. For more information about how to support the Back-to-School Brigade®, visit operationhomefront.org/back-to-school-brigade.

About Operation Homefront
Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 90 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America’s military families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.

About Start Strong, Stay Strong:
Operation Homefront launched ‘Start Strong, Stay Strong,’ a national brand campaign in March 2021. The initiative brings much-needed attention to the dedicated service of our military families and the support that Americans can provide to build the stability, connections and comfort these families deserve to start strong in their communities and stay strong throughout their journeys. #StartStrongStayStrong. Find out more at operationhomefront.org/startstrongstaystrong.

About Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operates more than 15,700 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces. Its stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit www.DollarTree.com.

Mike Lahrman
michael.lahrman@operationhomefront.org
(210) 834-7823

Source: Operation Homefront and Dollar Tree, Inc.

Released June 28, 2021