military spouses

Military spouses navigate the intersection of keeping their families strong and supporting active duty loved ones whose military service helps to keep the country safe.

The often unsung contributions of military spouses were in the spotlight today, Military Spouse Appreciation Day, thanks to Support Military Families (SMF), which hosted socially distant celebrations in North Carolina complete with care packages for spouses and children.

Penske Truck Rental provided the use of three trucks, while associates in the company’s corporate office in Pennsylvania contributed handwritten and often poignant messages which were included in the spouses’ care packages.

“The encouragement the care packages give to military spouses and their little ones is so deeply appreciated, but clearly beyond appreciation, I believe there is a tremendous need that we are filling,” said Diane Rumley, who, along with her husband Dr. Steven Rumley, founded SMF in 2010.

At the end of today’s events in Fayetteville, Jacksonville and Goldsboro, North Carolina, SMF will have distributed 2,000 care packages – 1,000 each for spouses and their children – to benefit the families of Army and Navy personnel and Marines.

Since 2010, SMF has donated 82,000 care packages to military spouses and children, and every care package has been delivered by a Penske rental truck.

Honoring Service on the Homefront

In 1984, then-President Ronald Reagan set aside the Friday before Mother’s Day as a day to remember the service of military spouses to the nation.

“President Reagan understood the very important role military spouses play in keeping our nation safe and keeping our service members being able to do their job, because they know their husband or their wife is doing what needs to be done at home,” Mrs. Rumley said.

Often, that service on the home front comes at a cost.

“The majority of military spouses are living away from their normal built-in support system any family would have. They are living in a new town, and they don’t have the resources you and I don’t think about,” Mrs. Rumley said. “They serve double-duty and they never complain about it. They do it selflessly and in many cases seamlessly.”

The Rumleys created the non-profit SMF with a goal to provide every U.S. military spouse with an appreciation care package as a way to thank military spouses for their sacrifices.

“Our whole mission is to show them God’s love, and I think somehow the spouses know it,” Mrs. Rumley said. “They know we are genuine and what we are giving them is a gift from the heart, that they are appreciated as is their servicemember husband or wife, and we understand.”

That first year, in 2010, Mrs. Rumley remembers packing up a Penske van with 35 shoeboxes, filled and donated by caring individuals, and delivering them to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro.

“Every time we give them a care package, it lets them know we see your sacrifices. You are not forgotten. On behalf of all of us, thank you for what you are doing,” Mrs. Rumley said.

Penske is a founding partner of SMF, and the relationship has been vital to the evolution of the non-profit and its mission.

“There is something so wonderful about going into the Penske rental location and feeling like we are partnered with not only a major corporation but the heart of people who care and who understand what we are doing and who agree that the spouses deserve this kind of recognition,” Mrs. Rumley said. “Penske is a company with a heart.”

Proud Military Supporter

The support for military spouses and SMF’s mission is just one aspect of Penske’s support and appreciation for active-duty military and veterans.

Penske is committed to hiring veterans and was named a 2022 Military-Friendly Employer by Victory Media, the publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine.

In addition to hiring, the company is proud to partner with and support military-friendly organizations, including The Paralyzed Veterans of America's Mission: ABLE campaign

To assist with military moves, Penske Truck Rental established a specialized military call center in 2014 to help reduce the stress of do-it-yourself moves for military families.

The appreciation for the military extends to associates who paused again this year to write inspirational messages of appreciation for military spouses and their children.

Of all the gifts in the care packages, the handwritten thank you cards are the most cherished item, according to Mrs. Rumley.

“The handwritten thank you notes are the most treasured item in the entire care package because the spouses get to read in someone else’s writing thank you for your service to our country we appreciate what you are doing,” she said.

“I have seen many spouses cry when they read their cards,” Mrs. Rumley said. “The heart knows the genuine appreciation of the words that are written and are so impactful to the spouses.”

In December, SMF will host a holiday care package event for military spouses and their children.

By Bernie Mixon

[Read more...]Show less

A year after the pandemic forced Support Military Families (SMF) to cancel its annual Military Spouse Appreciation Day (MSAD) event, the charity will host a socially distant celebration today at three military installations across North Carolina.

For more than a decade, SMF has thanked wives and husbands by presenting them with care packages filled with gifts and a hand-written thank you note in appreciation for their service on the home front.

Three Penske rental trucks, driven by three North Myrtle Beach volunteers, will deliver 1,200 care packages to military spouses at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

"When President Reagan made MSAD an official holiday in 1984, it was in honor of how much the spouses help service members to better serve our country because they know their wives or the husbands are taking care of everything at home," said Diane Rumley, who co-founded SMF in 2009 with her husband, Steven.

Originally founded as Support Military Spouses, the name was changed in 2019 to reflect the charity's broader mission to support military families and children. The nonprofit's goal is to thank every U.S. military spouse for their sacrifice by providing them with a care package.

"Through all of the thousands of spouses we have come in contact with, we see that they are selfless, hardworking and resilient, and they are extremely humble and sacrificial," Mrs. Rumley said.

The first care package delivery was in 2010. Mrs. Rumley remembers packing up a Penske van with 35 filled shoeboxes donated by caring individuals. The boxes were delivered to military spouses at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

"The spouses are so appreciative of a simple care package that says, 'thank you'," Mrs. Rumley said. "It has been an honor to recognize all that they do so selflessly for us to have the freedoms we enjoy and take for granted."

In addition to the MSAD care packages, SMF also hosts a care package delivery in December to deliver Christmas cheer for military spouses and their children.

Last year, as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the nation, SMF was forced to cancel their 2020 MSAD event. The Christmas event was held, but it was contactless and socially distant.

"We are following the same contactless delivery we followed in December. We think it is prudent that we follow strict COVID-19 safety guidelines," Mrs. Rumley said. "We are doing a drive-up as opposed to a party."

SMF hopes to return to the holiday party their December care package deliveries are known for, Mrs. Rumley said.

Penske Truck Rental, an SMF founding partner, has supported the nonprofit's work to honor the service and sacrifice of military families. The company provides rental trucks to help transport the care packages and donates Penske Truck Rental Activity Books for children.

In past years, Penske associates sent SMF holiday cards with personal messages of support for military families, which were inserted into Christmas and Military Spouse Appreciation Day care packages.

By Bernie Mixon

[Read more...]Show less