Members of the military and their families make tremendous sacrifices on behalf of our country. Yet when they return home, many face challenges like homelessness, unemployment, medical expenses, mental health conditions, and financial difficulties.
According to Statista, as of 2022, there were about 16.2 million veterans in the United States. Of that number, approximately 235,000 of our veterans between the ages of 35 and 54 had an income below the poverty level, along with nearly 580,000 veterans aged 65 and older sharing the same bleak financial status.
Thankfully, numerous organizations are dedicated to helping military members, veterans, and families in need. These organizations assist service members with everything from medical attention and affordable housing to mental health resources and community building.
If you’re looking for ways to support United States military members, consider donating to or volunteering with one of these nationally recognized organizations.
Kids Rank
Kids Rank is a service-based organization that engages children from military families through programming, projects, and volunteer opportunities. They launched their first club in 2012 with 10 kids and have served more than 900 children nationwide and among international military bases.
The organization believes that military children serve their communities just as much as their parents while also bearing the burdens and sacrifices of being a part of a service family. The goal is to empower military children by nurturing social and emotional growth through connection, leadership, and community service, which connect directly with the Kids Rank core pillars of connect, lead, and serve.
Kids Rank recognizes Veteran’s Day and Military Family Month in November. To celebrate both events, the organization will host a Bring Your Own Veteran Dinner (BYOV) on Nov. 7.
“At Kids Rank, we believe “HOME” is where one feels a strong connection and is comfortable being their truest version of themselves,” shared Kids Rank Communication Director Shown Michael Pridgen. “Home is not merely four-square walls. Home is the emotional connection, the peace, safety, and joy you feel, fostering a sense of belonging. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and loved, just as you would in your own home.”
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
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The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is a non-governmental, non-partisan organization that educates the public about military history, affairs, and national security. The museum focuses on telling military stories and sacrifices that inform decisions about improving civilian life, preserving democracy, and safeguarding the nation.
The flagship center of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library is in downtown Chicago, and another center is under construction in Somers, Wisconsin. The Chicago location features a diverse collection of scholarly initiatives and original works such as:
- Drawing Fire: The Editorial Cartoons of Bill Mauldin
- Taps on the Walls: Poems from the Hanoi Hilton
- The General: William Levine, Citizen Soldier and Liberator
Gary Sinise Foundation
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The Gary Sinise Foundation supports defenders, veterans, and first responders through unique programming that entertains, educates, and inspires. The programs under the Gary Sinise Foundation include:
- R.I.S.E– A program that provides mortgage-free smart homes to severely wounded heroes. This program also helps wounded soldiers with home modifications, mobility devices, and adapted vehicles.
- Relief & Resiliency– These programs support military personnel and families during hardships.
- Community Outreach & Education– These programs bridge the gap between military personnel and civilian communities, helping service members return to civilian life.
- First Responders Outreach– This program raises funds for first responders so they can complete their jobs to the best of their abilities. Funds from this program also help wounded responders with home modifications, smart homes, and mobility devices.
SOS America
SOS America is a membership organization that supports military services for young adults who wish to serve in the U.S. military. The programs provide resources and skills training for young adults to create a more qualified all-volunteer military force. Memberships start at $10 a month, and the organization also accepts one-time donations.
Combined Arms
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Combined Arms created a digital network platform to help veterans and military families access local and nationwide resources. This platform allows Combined Arms to provide unprecedented support to service members and veterans by giving individuals access to resources they may otherwise not have found or known about. With donations, Combined Arms can continue developing adaptable technology that provides military members with quality resources when needed.
Bush Insitute
The Bush Insitute helps veterans and their families transition back into civilian life through their Veterans and Military Families program. The program offers leadership training and helps veterans with employment, education, and well-being to have a fulfilled life outside their military service. The organization also promotes research-driven policy recommendations to smooth transitions once military professionals return home.
The Check-In Program is one of the organization’s resources for connecting veterans, service members, and loved ones with high-quality mental and brain health care. This free, confidential resource will make the vital connection to a licensed professional who can help provide care through telehealth, outpatient, or in-person care programs.
The Bush Institute’s Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors exhibit, which opened June 9, 2024, at Walt Disney World in EPCOT’s American Adventure Pavilion, complements the Institute’s mission to support veterans and military families, using art to share the stories of military veterans.
Featuring over 60 portraits of post-9/11 service members painted by President George W. Bush, the exhibit presents personal stories of resilience and recovery alongside information about resources like the Check-In Program.
The Road Home Program
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The Road Home Program provides comprehensive care to veterans, service members, and their families, regardless of discharge status, at no out-of-pocket cost. Donations to this program play a crucial role in eliminating barriers to care and supporting mental health services for those facing challenges such as post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, or substance use.
The Road Home Program is dedicated to delivering in-depth, personalized care, ensuring that individuals can access the specialized treatment they need without added stress. Every contribution helps make mental health support more accessible, empowering those who have served to receive the care they deserve.
Wounded Warrior Project
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Numerous individuals who served in the military leave the service with physical injuries and lasting invisible wounds, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and debilitating brain trauma. While medical innovations have been great at saving lives, the Wounded Warrior Project ensures service members have a quality life after injuries.
The Wounded Warrior Project started in 2003 as a small organization that brought care and comfort items to the bedsides of wounded service members. Throughout the years, the Wounded Warrior Project grew its services and programs to appeal to the post-service needs of military personnel. Through direct programs in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care, this project has assisted millions of warriors and their families.
Fisher House Foundation
Since 1990, The Fisher House Foundation has provided comfortable houses (called Fisher Houses) to military and veteran families while their loved ones receive medical care from a VA or major military medical center. Providing families with homes removes the burden of lodging costs so military families can stay together during recovery. In 2023, the Fisher House Foundation saved families more than $35 million in lodging costs.
The Fisher House Foundation also partners with airlines and hotels to help families with travel and short-term lodging costs. It also has a scholarship program for military children and has made more than $35 million in scholarships available to 14,000 kids.
Hope for the Warriors
Hope for the Warriors offers comprehensive programs and services to military families to restore stability, strength, and community. Their programs promote well-being and community connection to enhance the quality of life for the military and their families through their three pillars:
- Stability Programs and Services that focus on financial wellness and career/educational support for service members and their families
- Strength Programs and Services that emphasize physical and emotional wellness through clinical support services, as well as sports and recreation opportunities
- Community Programs and Services that build communities through connection and belonging with peer-to-peer (veteran-to-veteran or veteran-to-service member) engagement and mentorship
Hope for the Warriors was started in 2006 by military families at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC. These families witnessed war’s effects on service members and developed programs to help restore self, family, and hope among active and veteran members. Since its start, Hope for the Warriors has served over 171,000 service members, veterans, and military families.
Disabled American Veterans
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Disabled American Veterans is a veterans-serving-veterans program that provides lifetime support to veterans and their families at no cost. It offers VA benefits assistance, medical transport, employment help, and transition services.
Disabled American Veterans understand the changing needs of service members as they transition into civilian life. All of their services address common veteran challenges and support veterans as they navigate their benefits, rediscover their purpose, and learn how to take care of themselves, physically and emotionally.
Semper Fi & America’s Fund
Military spouses and form services members run Semper Fi & America’s Fund to care for critically wounded and ill service members, veterans, and their families. This organization works with all military branches and offers one-on-one case management and lifetime support. All donations go toward comprehensive programs that provide immediate and long-lasting impact so service members and families can have the resources they need while recovering.
Operation Homefront
This nationally recognized nonprofit, started in 2002, provides relief and support to military families experiencing short-term difficulties that affect their ability to stay housed, fed, and clothed.
Some of their relief programs include critical financial assistance, transitional housing, and permanent housing placements for veterans. Operation Homefront also builds community among service members and helps those in need through donation drives for holiday toys, meals, homecoming celebrations, and baby showers.
Between now and the end of the year, Operation Homefront will host its Holiday Meals for Military program. With more than one in four active-duty enlisted military families facing food insecurity, Operation Homefront will distribute food to more than 13,000 military families at more than 100 events nationwide to ensure none of them have to choose between creating a special holiday memory and putting food on the table.
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), founded in 1899, is one of the oldest organizations fighting for veterans, service members, and military families. With more than 2,300 accredited VFW representatives across the nation, this organization raised more than $3 million in scholarships for high school students, provided more than $589,007 in financial assistance to help cover basic needs for military service members and raised more than $1.6 million for academic scholarships for veterans and active military.
The VFW has also teamed up with nationwide mental health organizations to raise awareness of mental health conditions faced by many service members. At any VFW location, individuals can learn how to support their community and about potential mental health treatment options.
American Legion
The American Legion has been dedicated to advocating for veterans since 1919. Over the years, this organization has stood up for veterans’ unique needs. Recently, the American Legion has been working to destigmatize mental health support, offering peer-to-peer resources in hopes of reducing suicide rates among veterans.
In addition to mental health support, the American Legion hosts various youth programs, such as American Legion Baseball and Boys Nation. These programs focus on building leadership and sportsmanship among young adults. The Legion also runs community programs to support military families with financial assistance and disaster relief.
National Military Family Association
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The National Military Family Association is a nonprofit dedicated to solving the unique challenges of military families, such as food insecurity, childcare, and spouse unemployment. It offers scholarships to military spouses to improve their job skills, advocates for military families’ rights and resources, and collects meaningful data to understand better what areas most affect their well-being.
Paralyzed Veterans of America
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Paralyzed veterans need life-changing care and support, and that’s exactly what they get through Paralyzed Veterans of America. This nonprofit helps affected veterans get caregiver support, legal services, medical care, and other veteran benefits.
Since its inception in 1946, this organization has secured $1.2 billion for veterans and families, including $32.8 million in remodeling veteran homes to include accessibility features and $1.1 million for research on treatments for paralysis.
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Jessica Braun Gervais is a Chicago-based freelance writer specializing in health, wellness, and fitness. She earned a B.A. in Journalism from Columbia College and has written content for various health and wellness institutions. Jessica Braun’s passion for wellness comes from her life as an elite athlete competing in Muay Thai kickboxing competitions across the country. In addition to sharing her expertise through writing, Jessica Braun also works as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer. When she’s not writing or training, Jessica Braun enjoys reading historical fiction novels, discovering new coffee shops, and cuddling with her cattle dog, Brady.
