FAIRBORN, Ohio (WDTN) — A group is wanting to make sure military families in the Miami Valley are prepared for school. 

Piles of backpacks were packed full of supplies and ready to go home with military children from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Operation Homefront gave away 240 backpacks to families during their Back-to-School Brigade on Saturday morning at the Holiday Inn in Fairborn.

“These backpacks are heavy and ready for these kids,” Rebekah Reyes, Operation Homefront volunteer manager said. “We’ve got everything from notebooks to pencils to pencil cases.” 

Operation Homefront is an organization that supports military families year-round, especially during back-to-school season. 

“Being a military spouse myself, I know the struggles of military families do have,” Reyes said. “So, it’s great to be able to give back to the community, and it’s great to set them up ready for the school year. This really helps our military families as they’re moving around the country really start fresh in a new area each school year.”

In 2023, the organization aims to give away its 550,000th backpack.

Brei Yorgason is a mother who attended the event. She says she is thankful for the event, since it the organization took the time to see what families actually needed before school started.

“It just kind of takes one extra stress on you so you can focus on other things that are important,” Yorgason said. “Taking the time and the preparation to find out what we need, and then helping our budget so we can put them to other places, you know, that’s really, really, really nice.” 

Since the Back-to-School Brigade began in 2008, the organization says it has saved military families more than $60 million dollars in expenses.