{"id":9637,"date":"2016-12-14T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-12-14T14:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/?p=9637"},"modified":"2016-12-14T11:48:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-14T16:48:00","slug":"giving-back-to-those-who-have-sacrificed-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/giving-back-to-those-who-have-sacrificed-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving Back to Those Who Have Sacrificed Much"},"content":{"rendered":"<a class=\"nounderline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/operation-homefront.png\" alt=\"Operation Homefront\" width=\"170\" height=\"113\" class=\"alignleft\" style=\"margin: 5px 30px 10px 0px;\" \/><\/a>\n<p>Unless you are connected with someone in the armed forces, you may not realize the impact a spouse or parent being deployed has on a family. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">Operation Homefront<\/a> understands the challenges service members, wounded veterans, and their families face and is dedicated to providing assistance. Over the years, this organization has been helping American military families through an array of programs; two of my favorites are their Holiday Toy Drive and Holiday Meals for Military programs. Read on for more details on how Operation Homefront assists military families during the holidays and how you can get involved.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"postsubhead\">Holiday Toy Drive<\/h2>\n<a class=\"nounderline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/holidaytoys\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9642 alignnone\" alt=\"Operation Homefront ? Holiday Toy Drive\" src=\"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/boy-dad.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/boy-dad.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/boy-dad-300x81.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/boy-dad-220x59.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/holidaytoys\" target=\"_blank\">Holiday Toy Drive<\/a> runs through November and December of each year. With the support of several sponsors and generous donations from folks like you, Operation Homefront has been able give the gift of Christmas to countless children. There are several ways to get involved with this toy drive, such as donating toys, setting up a collection bin at your workplace or church, helping distribute toys, or becoming a volunteer. To learn more, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/holidaytoys\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"postsubhead\">Holiday Meals for Military<\/h2>\n<a class=\"nounderline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/holidaymeals\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9640 alignnone\" alt=\"Operation Homefront ? Holiday Meals for Military\" src=\"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/holiday-meals.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/holiday-meals.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/holiday-meals-300x81.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/holiday-meals-220x59.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a>\n<p>In 2015, Operation Homefront provided 8,500 meals to military families nationwide and is on track to provide more than 12,000 meals this year! For folks who are struggling to make ends meet, this generosity makes a world of difference. The season seems brighter when they experience glimmers of hope thanks to kind-hearted souls. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/holidaymeals\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> to locate a food drive near you and see a list of upcoming events.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"postsubhead\">Give to a Specific Need<\/h2>\n<p>Operation Homefront maintains a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/need\/list\" target=\"_blank\">list of people?s needs<\/a> that require urgent assistance, and each need has a monetary goal to which you can donate (similar to a GoFundMe campaign). For example, if someone needs help paying their mortgage, you can donate any amount towards that campaign. Maybe you yourself know what it?s like to have your utilities cut off or to have the threat of foreclosure looming over your head. However you decide to give, your tax-deductible donation will make a world of difference in another?s life. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/need\/list\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> to see the needs list and find one (or more!) that speaks to you.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"postsubhead\">Other Ways to Give<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"nounderline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/waystogive\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9641 alignnone\" alt=\"Operation Homefront ? Ways to Give\" src=\"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/ways-to-give.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"125\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/ways-to-give.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/ways-to-give-300x83.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/ways-to-give-220x61.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nThere are various other ways you can get involved with this admirable charity, now and throughout the year. If you are specialized in a service-based line of work (e.g., handyman, mechanic, accountant), you can donate your time and abilities. Federal employees can donate by withholding a portion of their paychecks. For a full list of ways to donate to Operation Homefront, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.operationhomefront.net\/waystogive\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unless you are connected with someone in the armed forces, you may not realize the impact a spouse or parent being deployed has on a family. Operation Homefront understands the challenges service members, wounded veterans, and their families face and is dedicated to providing assistance. Over the years, this organization has been helping American military&hellip;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/giving-back-to-those-who-have-sacrificed-much\/\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-charities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9637"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9669,"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9637\/revisions\/9669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northpole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}