Every year in the US since 1996, November is National Military Family Month. Also known as National Veterans and Military Families Month, it’s one of our favorite months of the year!
Shop Z&M wines and support a veteran-owned, military-friendly business.
November is National Military Families Month: How to Honor Their Service
As mentioned above, November is also recognized as National Veterans and Military Families Month, as well as Military Family Appreciation Month. Whatever you call it, it’s a terrific way for the nation to recognize the sacrifice and support of the hidden ranks.
Every year, beginning in 1996, the President signs a proclamation recognizing this observance. In the 2020 proclamation, the President encouraged “all communities, all sectors of society, and all Americans to acknowledge and honor” the families of our service members and veterans.
Of course that sounds like a wonderful idea. It can be hard to know just what to do to show your support for military families, however. After all, military service isn’t very common in our country today.
Recent estimates of how much of the US population serves in the military are less than one half of one percent. Accordingly, not many Americans know few if any service members very well. That means that while many bear a great deal of good will toward military families, they may be unsure how to express it.
Thankfully, the answer isn’t difficult. For many, the answer is a simple act of kindness. If there’s a military spouse on your street with a deployed service member, stop by with brownies. On snowy days, Venmo them a coffee on you, or offer to shovel their walk.
It doesn’t have to be something elaborate. A gesture to show that you’re thinking of them is often enough.
Resources for Military Families
National Military Family Month recognizes that military families are unique, just like their civilian counterparts. They each come with their own set of hardships, blessings, and situations. However, one thing that unites military families is their relationship to someone who has raised their right hand to defend the US Constitution.
That means they move more often (2 to 3 times as often as civilians). That means their kids change schools 6-9 times on average throughout their K-12 education.
These frequent moves uproot lives and often the careers of military spouses. This can be frustrating and cause financial hardship for military families.
With all this in mind, we’d like to offer our own simple act of kindness. Here are some resources for military families we hope our civilian and military followers alike will find useful!
THE USO
The USO is an American institution. USO Centers around the world offer comfort, rest, and morale-boosters to service members and their families.
Bryan and his family have utilized their services around the world. The USO offers an unbelievable service when you’re travelling abroad or you have a several-hour airport layover with kids and family in tow. Bryan fondly remembers the USO’s amazing services as he traveled to Korea, Europe, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Register as a volunteer and see what opportunities there are for you to make a difference!
NATIONAL MILITARY FAMILY ASSOCIATION (NMFA)
NMFA is an advocacy organization for service members and their families. This National Military Family Month, check out their website. There, you’ll learn about different legislative issues military families are confronting.
They also offer retreats, scholarships, and relief for child care fees, as well as resources on a host of factors that affect military life. You can even volunteer to lend your time and talents to this organization dedicated to the quality of life of service members and their families.
BLUE STAR FAMILIES
Blue Star Families is another advocacy group that collects data on military families to support programs aimed at them. Their annual survey provides a snapshot of the military community and their priorities, which is helpful both for nonprofits and policy makers.
Military families can lend their voice to this important work by completing the survey. They offer workshops, resources, and events intended to improve military life for service members and their families.
And of course, they are always interested in volunteers. Check and see how you can get involved with your local Blue Star Families Chapter!
US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MILITARY SPOUSE PROGRAM
Through this employment program, military spouses can take advantage of networking and mentoring opportunities. They can also get help with their resumes, as well as with career development and job searches.
They even offer transition summits to assist spouses of service members who are transitioning out of the military.
BLUE STAR MOTHERS OF AMERICA, INC.
Bryan’s mom, Anne, has been a Blue Star Mother for almost Bryan’s entire military career. The Houston, Texas chapter supported Bryan during his last deployment to Africa. They shipped hundreds of pounds of goodies, treats and toiletries to Bryan and his teammates in Mali.
Bryan has always had a soft spot for Blue Star Mothers as an organization that has helped him and his family through his 25 year career.
Z&M is Committed to Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families
We are a veteran-owned business, with membership in the US Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Veteran Coalition. As such, we have been awarded Homegrown by Heroes status, which appears on our wine labels. It’s a way of letting people know that we are a proud military business.
As a veteran-owned winery and vineyard, that means we are committed to hiring military spouses. We are also dedicated to supporting the military community, especially the one down the street from our winery, Fort Leavenworth.
If you are looking to host a spouse club event, a coffee, or other unit or seminar social, we’re you’re guys. Because we understand the military culture and the needs of a military unit or organization, we can offer you a customized experience.
Don’t waste time explaining yourself to a civilian business. Let us take care of you and your event.
We know how important family and friends are to the military and veterans. It’s why we frequently hold family-friendly events for our military, like our annual watch party for the Leavenworth Veterans Day Parade. These events always have plenty for mom and dad (wine), as well as kids (free pancakes!).
This November, if you want to support a military-friendly business for National Military Family Month, shop Z&M. You can check out one of our many family-friendly events, or order our wines shipped to your door.
November is National Military Family Month. Don’t let it pass by without doing something to say, “Thank you” to our service members and their spouses, children, and families!