Somewhere in a foreign land is an active military service member holding post in inclement weather with little sleep or comfort as his family prays for their safe return. Yorba Linda-based charity For Families of Active Military was created to support military families financially and emotionally during and after deployment.
FFAM came into being in 2006 when founder and CEO Bridget Blehm was on a long drive home with her husband, Eddie, considering how she wanted to give back to her community. In the span between traffic lights on Imperial Highway, Bridget conceived a complete vision of her larger role of providing respite for families of active military. The annual Eastlake Boat Parade Bridget and Eddie started had been raising money for charities for 18 years, but FFAM is now the primary charity that holds multiple events and fundraisers every year since 2006.
In November, the Eastlake Village clubhouse is ground zero for Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the troops. Two busloads of soldiers and their families are bussed in for a full day of Thanksgiving traditions. “Stuffing a Box” for the Troops collects and delivers boxes of food and a turkey to military families stationed at Fort Irwin, Miramar Air Station and Camp Pendleton, where volunteers prepare and serve a Thanksgiving feast for the troops.
Donations are greatly appreciated in this final push toward making Christmas special for military families. For details and volunteer opportunities with FFAM, call 714.403.7165.
Volunteers are called to embody the vision “Adopt a Military Family for Christmas” to shop, wrap and deliver gifts to a select number of military families. Donating gift cards or labor hours in this final push toward Christmas will make a special holiday for a military family.