National Nonprofit Hosts Lakewood Back-to-School Event for Military Families
Aug 11, 2026, 2:03 PM
Sound Sound
Originally published on South Sound.
To ease the financial burden many military families face during the back-to-school shopping season, national nonprofit Operation Homefront provided 400 local military children with free backpacks filled with school supplies at its recent Back-to-School Brigade event in Lakewood.
According to the Military Family Advisory Network, one in three military-connected families has $500 or less in emergency savings. For some, back-to-school expenses often coincide with permanent change of station moves, leaving them to prepare for a new school year while recovering financially from summer relocations, navigating disruptions in their spouse’s employment, and adjusting to new communities and schools.
Since the program’s launch in 2008, Operation Homefront has distributed more than 630,000 backpacks to military children, saving military families more than $60 million in back-to-school costs.
The Back-to-School Brigade is made possible by the support of Southern New Hampshire University, Dollar Tree, Food Lion, Goosehead Insurance, Hilton Grand Vacations, Northrop Grumman, RTX, and Town House Crackers. Local sponsors include Walmart and Swire Coca-Cola.
