Supporting Members of the Armed Forces
and Their Families

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made more people aware of the sacrifices made by members of the military and their families. Many charities work to support these families. They briefly describe what they do for these families on this page.

All these charities are part of the Combined Federal Campaign, which means they have met a series of accountability standards. You can learn more about each charity by clicking on the link at the end of the description of their work. Once you are on that charity’s page, you can make an online donation to support its work by clicking on the Give Online Now link on its page. You will be giving directly to that charity. Charitable Choices receives no part of your donation.

Thank you for your concern.

American Red Cross of the National Capital Area

Provides emergency aid to members of the armed forces and their families. The Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) provides emergency messages (births, deaths, serious illnesses) from home to military personnel stationed all over the world. Locally, AFES caseworkers are based at the American Red Cross office in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area is also assisting wounded service members and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital.

 Learn more...

State Veterans Homes "Care for America's Heroes" with quality health care for 30,000 elderly and disabled veterans at 140 locations nationally. We currently meet 53% of the Veterans Administration's long-term care needs, with 70% of our residents from WWII, 15% from the Korean War and 15% from the Vietnam War. Iraq casualties are soon to arrive.

Our Foundation enhances the quality of life for State Veterans Home residents through a national nurse-training program and a crime prevention/community safety program. We are also the partner of the National Association of State Veterans Homes in providing education and professional development to Veterans Home administrators.

 Learn more...

Campus Crusade for Christ Great Commission Foundation provides for the spiritual needs of the armed forces and their families, recognizing their unique and increasing challenges. Suicide and divorce rates are on the rise as multiple deployments become more common.

As Executive Director Major General Bob Dees, U.S. Army Retired, explains, "What we want the troops to do is hide the Word of God, hide the reality of Jesus in their hearts before they go. That's the ounce of prevention that's worth a pound of cure, and then, after they come back, if they're in a challenging situation, just the knowledge of the things they've seen via the JESUS Film and through spiritual training sessions and resources is very assuring and provides courage and hope during dark times."

Campus Crusade for Christ is sending a surge of the JESUS Film, Rapid Deployment Kits and Family Readiness Kits to service members, either deployed or not. And staff members are investing about 130,000 hours per year in the newest generation of the U.S. military by conducting spiritual training classes attended by more than 2,500 enlisted trainees each Sunday.

These are initiatives aimed at confronting the invisible spiritual wounds that the military has faced or will face in the future. We work to get the hope and encouragement to people before they need it and, through coordinated efforts with local churches and chapels worldwide, provide Combat Trauma Healing by presenting spiritual solutions to those returning warriors and their families and communities. Faith in the Foxhole and Hope on the Home Front.

 Learn more...

One of America's most effective charities, providing food, clothing, medical care, education and disaster relief to children and others who are in need in the U.S. and overseas since 1979, Feed The Children is committed to provide help and support to military families.

With so many full-time and reserve forces committed to the war in Iraq, many service families find themselves hard-pressed to make ends meet during this difficult time. As a way to show appreciation for the sacrifices made by these active-duty military families, Feed The Children is dispatching food and other necessities to military bases across the nation. Since December 2002, Feed the Children has helped many military families in need, including full-time military, reservists and National Guard.

 Learn more...

Members of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation believe that our nation's most precious resource is its youth, and their educational development is of primary importance in their becoming meaningful members of their families and society. The Foundation provides bonds to the children of Marines and Federal law enforcement personnel who are killed or die on active duty. The Foundation is unique in that it is run almost entirely by volunteers, so 98% of donations are channeled into the programs provided for children of Marines and Federal law enforcement personnel. Unlike many foundations, the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation provides assistance to eligible children from their date of birth through age 18.

 Learn more...

Provides interest-free loans and grants for undergraduate education to children of military members-officer and enlisted (Active, Guard or Reserve) -- from any branch of the Uniformed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

 Learn more...

Dedicated to providing quality outdoor sports opportunities for paralyzed veterans and others with disabilities. These activities are designed to promote a lifetime of health and fitness.

 Learn more...

The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) established the Spinal Cord Injury Education and Training Foundation (ETF) in the 1980s to enhance its existing research agenda by developing and building upon the wisdom and abilities of health-care professionals, consumers, and caregivers through funding products and services and by offering continuing education and training. ETF is the only foundation in the United States dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with spinal cord injury and disease (SCI/D) by offering educational grants.

 Learn more...

PVA Spinal Cord Research Foundation(SCRF) is one of the largest private supporters of spinal cord research in this country. SCRF awards basic science and clinical application grants to researchers studying ways to treat the host of medical complications that can accompany paralysis and to find a cure. To date, SCRF has awarded over $40 million in research grants.

PVA SCRF mission is:

• To promote innovative research to find better treatments and cures for paralysis.
• To support efforts to improve the quality of life of individuals with spinal cord dysfunction until treatments are found.
• To train new investigators and encourage them to specialize in the area of spinal cord research.

 Learn more...

On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 was taken hostage by terrorists and used to attack the Pentagon - one of the most recognized symbols of the United States' strength and power. One hundred eighty-four lives were lost at the Pentagon on that terrible day. They were men, women and children. They were mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons. The youngest was only three, the oldest 71. Despite the differences that distinguish them, these innocent individuals are united through the horrific events that unfolded on one of the darkest days in America's history.

The Pentagon Memorial Fund, Inc. was incorporated in May 2003 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to raise the private funds necessary to design, build and maintain a memorial dedicated to the children, men and women who perished at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

Located on the Pentagon reservation in the flight path of Flight 77, the Pentagon Memorial consists of 184 memorial units, each of which is dedicated to an individual victim by its unique placement within the collective field. The Pentagon Memorial is free and open to the public seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Now that the Pentagon Memorial has been constructed, critical resources are needed to preserve it for future generations of visitors from around the world. Your support will help ensure that new generations always have a special place to visit, to learn about and to reflect on the events on September 11, 2001. Please support the preservation of the Pentagon Memorial with a generous donation.

The administrative costs of the VFW Foundation are extremely low at 6.4%. That means that for every donation dollar we receive, approximately 94 cents goes directly to those we so ably assist. All of our programs are free and impartial with no affiliation with the VFW required for aid. One of our programs, Unmet Needs, actually directs 100% of all donations directly to deserving military families!

You can be assured that we will use your donation wisely. Charity watchdog groups like the Independent Charities of America gave the VFW Foundation a "Best of America" rating, an honor bestowed to only 1,500 of some 50,000 nonprofit groups. Our Foundation also achieved full inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC #10511) due to our consistent low operating costs.

Printer-friendly page