The Deed team sat down with Operation Homefront to talk about their important mission and how companies can help drive more impact.
As Deed continues its nonprofit spotlight series for 2025, we had the pleasure of speaking with Susan Zeisman, Vice President of Integrated Public Relations at Operation Homefront. We are very grateful to continue working directly with our nonprofit partners and to learn more about how their mission and programs have evolved and are supported through Deed.
Operation Homefront is committed to supporting the well-being and resilience of military families, providing them with the resources they need to thrive. By offering financial assistance, housing, and family support programs, the organization plays a vital role in easing the challenges that veterans and their families face after service, including transitioning to civilian life.
In our conversation with Susan Zeisman, we gained valuable insights into the incredible impact of Operation Homefront and how the organization’s dedicated team is working to meet the unique needs of military families. Through this interview, we also explore the importance of community-focused initiatives in enhancing the quality of life for those who have served.
Keep reading to hear directly from Susan Zeisman about Operation Homefront’s mission and the important work the team is doing to support our veterans and their families.
Operation Homefront was founded in 2002 in the wake of the September 11 tragedy. It started as a grassroots effort to help military families that were struggling to make ends meet overcome their financial hardships as their loved ones were deployed more frequently and for longer periods of time.
Our mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive, not simply struggle to get by, in the communities they’ve worked so hard to protect. We believe it is a national tragedy when military families experience the realization that a short-term financial hardship will turn into a long-term struggle that derails hope for a brighter future.
Operation Homefront’s mission is about the military family, not just the service member. Our programs not only provide important physical and financial resources to military families, but they also serve as a tangible demonstration of our gratitude and support for this very special and deserving group of people.
The original intent of Operation Homefront remains the same: to help our military families in their time of need for all they have done for us in our nation’s time of need. While the focus early on was financial assistance for military families, Operation Homefront now provides relief and recurring support through a variety of programs and services. Of course, we have grown greatly since our early days, and as we have done so, we’ve launched new programs and services to help our military families overcome the challenges they may be facing. Our relief programs include critical financial assistance and four different permanent and transitional housing programs. Our recurring support programs include our Back-to-School Brigade, Holiday Meals for Military, Star-Spangled Babies showers, and our Military Child of the Year award. As one of the largest national nonprofits serving the military and veterans, we’re meeting the most pressing needs of these families in financial distress—needs that are expected to continue due to high housing costs, unemployment/underemployment for both veterans and military spouses, lack of financial literacy, and uneven access to government programs.
I wanted to share some of the impact we’ve been able to make for tens of thousands of military families. Because of the unwavering support from those who invest in our mission, Operation Homefront has been able to accomplish the following:
1. Fulfill our 63,000th request for assistance in our Critical Financial Assistance program, providing nearly $44 million to help our military families in their time of need.
2. Grow our Transitional Homes for Veterans program, now with 42 homes, graduating our 39th family from the program with an impressive $39,000 average increase in net worth.
3. Graduate our 737th family from our Transitional Housing-Villages program, with over $8.5 million in rent deferred.
4. Grow our newest program, Transitional Housing Apartments, to 11 units in Utah, Maryland, Texas, and Georgia.
5. Graduate more than 690 families from our Permanent Homes for Veterans program, deeding more than $105 million in home value.
6. Provide critical baby supplies to more than 22,000 new and expectant military parents.
7. Deliver nearly 600,000 backpacks to military kids since our Back-to-School Brigade® program began.
8. Serve more than 21,000 meals this year alone to military families as part of our Holiday Meals for Military® program. Since the program began, we’ve served more than 825,000 military family members.
Deed has supported Operation Homefront in enhancing the impact we have on military families by providing the ability to create volunteer events and manage volunteer hours, along with other key features that help our organization execute its mission to build strong, stable, and secure military families with streamlined efficiency.
The work we do would not be possible without our corporate, foundation, and individual donors. Our mission comes to life because of those who share our belief that military families have earned our support. It is a national tragedy when a military family, after serving our nation so courageously, experiences the realization that a short-term financial hardship will turn into a long-term struggle, and it’s an honor and duty to be there for them in their time of need. People can support us in a variety of ways. They can go to our website and donate, they can volunteer, and they can follow us on our social media channels. Any time a person likes, comments, or shares our content, it helps more people see the good work we are doing, and more military families can learn about us and come to us if they are in need.
I encourage everyone to visit our website at OperationHomefront.org. It has information about our programs for military families who may need our help and more information about our mission.
Deed’s conversation with Susan from Operation Homefront highlighted the significant impact of their mission to assist military families and veterans through financial aid, housing, and family support services. It was a compelling reminder of the vital work being done to help veterans and their families navigate the challenges of transitioning and creating a successful future. Ongoing support remains essential to sustaining this important effort. If their mission resonates with you, there are numerous ways to get involved through Deed. We invite you to visit Operation Homefront’s Deed profile to volunteer, donate, or help spread the word about their invaluable services!