Dollar Tree Supports Military Families With Back-to-School Supplies

Dollar Tree Inc. is once again partnering with national nonprofit Operation Homefront on the annual Back-to-School Brigade program to collect school supplies and distribute them to military children.

From mid-July through August, customer-purchased supplies at more than 7,600 participating Dollar Tree stores nationwide will be donated to Operation Homefront. The school supplies will be collected by the organization’s volunteers and distributed to military families at more than 130 Back-to-School Brigade events and through local community partnerships across the United States this summer.

“Dollar Tree is thrilled to join our generous customers to partner with Operation Homefront for the 13th year to ease the back-to-school transition for military families,” said Chelle Davis, Dollar Tree spokeswoman. “We look forward to the opportunity to work alongside Operation Homefront to provide support for military families who selflessly serve our country, so that they can start strong and stay strong this back-to-school season and beyond.”

Like in 2020, this year’s Back-to-School Brigade events will continue to follow federal, state, and local COVID-19 guidelines. Most of the events will be delivered in a drive-through format, with volunteers following CDC guidelines.

“We are incredibly grateful for all Dollar Tree and their supportive customers have done and continue to do to bring our important work to improve the lives of our military families to life,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., president and CEO of San Antonio-based Operation Homefront. “As the pandemic continues to create significant and often overwhelming financial hardships on our military families, the entire Dollar Tree family shares our unwavering commitment to helping this very special and deserving group in their time of need for all they have done for all of us in our nation’s time of need.”

This year, Operation Homefront will hit a major milestone by providing its 450,000th backpack to a military child, saving military families more than $50 million in back-to-school expenses since the program launched in 2008.

Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing, and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Ninety percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year.

Chesapeake, Va.-based Dollar Tree, operating approximately 15,700 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces, is No. 30 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.