Military families given school supplies, home goods at B & O Railroad Museum
BALTIMORE -- The non-profit organization Operation Homefront is giving away free back-to-school essentials to hundreds of military families.
Rather than having people jump aboard the train at the B & O Railroad Museum, volunteers arrived in style to pass out free school supplies to 300 military children.
Each child received a lunch bag and book bag filled with school supplies like binders, notebooks, paper, colored markers, rulers and more.
But Operation Homefront made sure not to overlook the parents. Parents took away bags of cleaning supplies, tissues, wipes and personal care items.
Operation Homefront Chief Revenue Officer Margi Kirst said this is the time of year when most military parents are deployed, which is challenging for the families emotionally and financially.
"It's even more personal to me when I see that toddler coming up, getting that backpack, the bright smile," Kirst said. "I know that I'm helping a military family who might be struggling in these economic times to not have to worry and let their children celebrate."
The celebration continued with free cheeseburgers and hotdogs sizzling on the grill, all ages playing games and children getting a free train ride. It's all to foster a sense of welcome.
"It's really about community building," CSX Resident Vice President Brian Hammock said. "Military families move around so much that feeling that sense of community can be difficult."
Hammock said one in five of their employees at the transportation company have served in the military.
And without the men and women who served in the armed forces, Hammock and Kirst say the nation wouldn't thrive.
"We want those military kids to feel the power of pistons firing and trains running all in support of them," Kirst said.
