Operation Homefront of South Carolina

MISSION: Operation Homefront (OH) provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors.

VISION: Through generous, widespread public support and a collaborative team of exceptional staff and volunteers, we aspire to become the provider of choice for emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. Where there is a need we do not provide, we will partner with others for the benefit of our military families.

VALUES: - Honor Patriotism and Service to Country: We believe those who wear our country's uniform do so with a sense of duty, knowing they support the causes of freedom. We serve by serving them and their families.

- Do What's Right: We are committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct in all that we do. We believe that honesty and integrity engender trust, which is the cornerstone of providing our services. We are careful stewards of the resources provided by our donors. We strive to be good citizens and we take responsibility for our actions.

- Respect Others: We recognize that our success as an enterprise depends on the talent, skills and expertise of our people and our ability to function as a tightly integrated team. We appreciate our diversity and believe that respect - for our colleagues, clients, partners, and all those with whom we interact - is an essential element of all positive and productive relationships.

- Perform With Excellence: We understand the importance of our mission and the trust our clients and donors place in us. With this in mind, we strive to excel in every aspect of our activities and approach every challenge with a determination to succeed.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: In 2010, we met 167,795 needs for military families, including active duty, Guard and Reserve members from all branches of service. Since its inception, Operation Homefront has provided more than $92 million dollars of funding to programs to benefit military families.

KEY SERVICES: Operation Homefront provides direct services to alleviate a military family’s or individual’s actual/complete emergency financial burden, as well as counseling and/or recovery support. Emergency financial assistance is in the form of checks paid directly to mortgage lenders, auto mechanics, contractors, hospitals, doctors, dentists and other providers. Other emergency funding assistance, which an applicant receives within 24 to 72 hours, includes the following:

•Financial assistance•Emergency food•Emergency home repairs•Critical baby items: formula, food and diapers•Home and appliance repair•Furniture and household items•Local moving assistance•Community events•Wounded Warrior Transitional Family Housing

BACKGROUND: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Operation Homefront was formed in February 2002. It was developed to support the families of deployed service members immediately following 9/11. Operation Homefront is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, and has evolved into a major nonprofit. The organization currently provides services to military families across the nation with 23 chapters serving 32 states. The national office handles cases in states that do not have their own chapters. The majority of our clients – 75 percent – are the lowest-paid service members, the E-1 through E-6 enlisted ranks.

The target population is American military personnel and/or their families who have unmet needs due to financial hardship, death, injury, or physical or mental detriment as a result of service in Iraq or Afghanistan. These may include active duty, Reserve, National Guard and veteran service members. They are a diverse ethnic group (64 percent are minorities): approximately 20 percent are African-American; 5 percent Asian-American; 34 percent Hispanic/Latino; 5 percent Native American; and 36 percent Caucasian. Roughly 75 percent live at an income level 80 percent below the median income for the communities in which they reside.

Our Web community, OH Online, was created specifically to educate and support military wives and women in uniform.

We’re proud to earn the highest rating – four stars – for three straight years from Charity Navigator, the nation’s top independent evaluator of nonprofit organizations. Nationally, $.95 of total revenue donated to Operation Homefront goes to programs.