Support Project Sharing the Joy’s initiative to bring joyful holiday cheer to local military families.

The holidays can be a magical time, but for military and veteran families, the season often brings added stress. To help ease the financial burden, the Supporting Military Personnel Project’s (STEP) Sharing the Joy holiday program pairs young military and veteran families with donors to help make their holiday wishes a reality.

The 2024 Sharing the Joy campaign, one of the organization’s flagship annual events, aims to help 300 young military personnel and veteran families this year. Registered families complete a holiday wish list, which STEP shares with individuals and corporate sponsors, who then have the opportunity to shop to fulfill the items on the foster family’s list. Military families (enlisted E1-E6) or newly deployed veteran families (within 18 months of separation) have until November 30, 2024 to apply for the Sharing the Joy program.

When signing up to help, donors can choose the size of the family they support and the amount they want to spend. STEP welcomes donors from across the county—individuals, businesses, churches and community organizations—and asks them to register online to adopt a military family. until November 22, 2024so that you have enough time to select a family and deliver gifts.

Gifts for foster families must be received at the STEP Distribution Warehouse in Scripps Ranch San Diego (9915 Businesspark Ave., Suite A, San Diego, CA 92131) by Wednesday, December 4th at 5:00 p.m. Donors using Amazon Wishlist will have the option to send items directly to STEP.

The wish list includes gifts that seem out of reach for parents and families, including board games, hand blenders and mixers, and more.

“In addition to the normal stressors of military life—frequent travel, deployments, unreimbursed expenses and low pay—leave expenses can overwhelm tight budgets and increase anxiety during what should be a happy time,” says STEP CEO and co-founder Tony Teravainen. . “Our Sharing the Joy campaign helps young military and veteran families more fully experience the wonder and excitement of the season, while also giving parents peace of mind about making their children’s holiday wishes come true. Those who volunteer to serve and protect our country deserve this and more.”

STEP is a nonprofit organization created by military veterans to provide financial support services to young military members and veteran families, helping them create budget plans to reduce stress and achieve goals—during the holidays and year-round. Since its inception in 2012, STEP, a community-funded organization, has positively impacted the lives of more than 290,000 military personnel.

The STEP Emergency Financial Assistance Program helps young military and veteran families achieve or improve their financial security by offering more than just a solution to a personal financial crisis. The program includes a social worker who is also a certified financial advisor with military experience who works one-on-one with military and veteran clients to manage their unique financial circumstances.

STEP helps families develop the confidence and skills to continually improve their financial well-being, helping combat food insecurity, homelessness, mental and physical illness, suicide and other crises through counseling, education and financial support.

For more information about STEP’s Sharing the Joy program, visit www.teamstepusa.org/sharingthejoy.