Shirts give A&FRC helping hand

  • Published
  • By Airman Anthony Jennings
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The First Sergeants Council presented the Airman and Family Readiness Center a check for $1,000 April 7, to fund their Hearts Apart Dining program. 

The program offers free dining to the families of deployed personnel every Wednesday evening. However, the overwhelming success of the program quickly exhausted their resources leading to the threat of scale-backs and even cancellation. 

Master Sgt. Robert Powers, 96th Mission Support Squadron first sergeant, said he learned of the funding issue a few weeks ago while speaking with Maj. Sean Harrington, 96th Mission Support Squadron commander. 

"We were brainstorming ideas about how to keep the program operating at its current level," said the master sergeant. "It was presented to the First Sergeant Council in hopes of generating ideas for action," "Fortunately the issue quickly went from discussion to action." 

The program is usually held at the Eglin Breeze dining facility but is occasionally offered at dining establishments in the local community. Funding is provided from private organizations in outlying cities in the local area. At approximately $200 per night, the program is under the threat of scale-backs. 

"The check was a big help," said Tech. Sgt. Brooke Matthews, A&FRC readiness NCO. "This will keep us going for another five weeks maybe, but we can't continue at our current capacity and might have to cut back to once a month." 

The program provides the opportunity for the family of deployed Airmen to enjoy an evening free of meal preparations dinner and to socialize with other families experiencing similar situations. 

"The opportunity to develop a support network of people under the same circumstances has a positive impact on the stress they may endure while a loved one is deployed," said Sergeant Matthews. 

The First Sergeants say taking care of the families of deployed members is paramount in servicemembers' ability to perform their mission while deployed. 

"A person can only focus completely on the mission if they aren't burdened with the worries of whether their families are doing alright at home," Sergeant Powers said. "We, as First Sergeants, and a military community as a whole, have an obligation to care for each other and our families."

The council is currently discussing plans to contribute to the program on a routine basis to ensure this opportunity for military families does not fall by the wayside.