1/34 ARMORED BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM SOLDIER & FAMILY TOOLKIT
Military Saves Week
Volume 23
February 24th– March 1st
February 2014 Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Events 3
Military Saves 4
Pantry Challenge 5
Family Assistance Centers 17
The intent of this toolkit is to provide you with available events, deals, resources, and important information. Please take a few minutes to glance at these resources and visit a few sites!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS HOME FRONT EVENTS AND DEALS……………………………………………………………….....3 MILITARY SAVES………....……………………………………………………………………………...4 PANTRY CHALLENGE……....……....…………….…………………………...…..…………..…........5 DEPLOYMENT RESOURCES……………………………………………………………..………….....9 VACATIONS & RETREATS.……….………………………………………………………..………....10 ARMY / NATIONAL GUARD…………………………………………………………………………11 CARE PACKAGES / MAIL…………………………………………...…………….………………....11 CHILDREN………………………………………………………...…………………………………....11 COMMUNICATION…………………………………………………..…………………………….....12 COUNSELING SERVICES………………………………………………………...……………….…..12 COUNSELING / ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR……………………………………….……………….…..13 CULTURAL RESOURCES…………………………………………………...……………………….…13 DEPLOYMENT……………………………………………………………...…………………….….....13 EDUCATION……………………………………………………………………………………………14 EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE……………………………………………………….…………………14 FAMILY SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE…...……………………………………………..……………14 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND CREDIT RESOURCES……………………………………………..15 HEALTH / MENTAL HEALTH…………………………………………………………………………..15 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE……………………………………………………………………………….16 LEGAL ASSISTANCE / ISSUES………………………………………………………………...……...16 MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS…………………………………………………………………..16 MORTGAGE OR RENT ASSISTANCE………………………………………………………………..16 PARENTS OF SOLDIERS……………………………………………………………………………….16 PET CARE…………………………………………………………………………………………….…17 SPOUSES & SIGNIFICANT OTHERS…………………………………………………………...….….17 STRESS MANAGEMENT……………………………………………………………………………….17 SUICIDE PREVENTION……………………………………………………………………………...…17 MISCELLANEOUS ……………………………………………………………………………………..17 FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTER MAP………………………………………………………………...18
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HOME FRONT EVENTS & DEALS www.BeyondTheYellowRibbon.org
Check out the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon website and sign up for exclusive email updates on monthly local Beyond the Yellow Ribbon events and deals. Minnesota Swarm Heroes Night When: Feb. 8, 7 p.m. Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul About: Servicemembers and military families are invited to attend Heroes Night at no charge! Additionally, the Minnesota Swarm are offering discounted tickets to Servicemembers and military families all season long.
African American History Month When: Feb. 19, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Where: Metro State University, Saint Paul About: Learn about African American history, experience culture, and more! Join the MN National Guard, Metro State University, Council on Black Minnesotans, and the National Association of Black Military Women in celebrating African American Month!
Financial Literacy Event When: Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Where: 5701 Golden Hills Drive, Minneapolis About: Take control of your financial future! Allianz Life, a Minnesota Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Company, is sponsoring a free Financial Literacy Event for military of any status and their families. Recruits, Veterans, Reserves, Guard, and Spouses are all welcome!
Joining Community Forces - Minnesota Meeting When: March 8, 8 a.m. Where: Minnesota State University, Mankato About: You are cordially invited to Joining Community Forces Minnesota. The goal of JCF-MN is to collaborate and synchronize community resources to support veterans, Servicemembers and their families. This will be accomplished by educating the participants on federal, state and community resources.
OWH Military Family Retreat When: Feb. 14 to 16, 2014 Where: Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch About: Operation Welcome Home in Stewartville offers several faith-based retreats to provide encouragement, hope, and inspiration to veterans and their spouses and families. 8th Annual Operation Valentine When: Feb. 16, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. RSVP by Feb 13 Where: Best Western, Monticello About: Best Western Chelsea Inn & Suites is pleased to announce the 8th Annual Operation Valentine Open House for those serving in our Nation's Armed Forces and their families. Please RSVP by February 13 to either attend the open house or spend the night at the special room rate of $39.00 plus tax!
Great Lakes Aquarium Tween Overnight When: March 15, 6:30 p.m., to March 16, 9 a.m. Where: Great Lakes Aquarium, Duluth About: When the lights go off and the last of the day's visitors are ushered out of the aquarium, few people realize that the real fun has only begun. Before the lights go off, military-connected tweens (youth ages 9 to 13) will learn how animals are resilient through a scavenger hunt, behind-the-scenes tours and more. Tweens will spend the night at the aquarium. An evening snack and breakfast will be provided. Teen Leadership Forum When: March 21 to 23, 2014 Where: Mankato About: During this forum, military-connected teens will learn how to become leaders by participating in team-building games, learning about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and listening to inspiring speakers. The forum will also give teens a chance to network with other military-connected teens.
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The Pantry Challenge
Growing up, we had a room in the basement with shelves and a freezer that were always stocked with food that was purchased on sale. I have continued the tradition at my house. A pantry challenge is when a person tries to uses up what they have in their pantry and see how low they can keep their grocery budget for a month or a few weeks. Some families do this before the holidays to make room in their chest freezers for turkeys. I used to do this to empty out and shut off our second freezer for the summer. Some families may feel really frugal and motivated in January. Step One- Take an inventory. Go through all of your cabinets, refrigerator, and freezers and throw out everything that is expired. Put everything that is close to expiring in a box. Using up these items should be on the top of your priority list. Make a note to not buy more of the things that were expired in the future. Step Two- Make a plan. Take out a calendar and put together a list of meals that use up the ingredients. Try to avoid recipes that require store bought items. Websites like Recipe.com allow people to input up to three ingredients and get a list of recipes for them. Step Three- Have fun. Take advantage of your family’s strengths and make this an adventure. The television show Chopped, gives chefs a basket of mystery ingredients and challenges them to make the best dish. Have your own competition at home with two competitive members of the family as chefs and the rest of the family as the judges. Step Four- Substitute ingredients. Many ingredients can be substituted or omitted. The internet is very helpful with this. Be careful when doing this while baking as changes to recipes could cause big differences in results. Step Five- Only shop for the essentials. This is really difficult for shoppers that like to stock up. Consider asking friends, family, and neighbors for missing ingredients. Some stores also allow you to buy spices a tablespoon at a time instead of a whole jar. Gardeners often have surplus herbs and produce at the end of the season too. Step Six- Make things from scratch. This can be lots of fun! I hope that you found this helpful. Happy cooking!
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Healthy Money Habits– Pantry Challenge Cristy House– Northern MN Family Readiness Support Assistant
I have a confession: I am addicted to stockpiling groceries. I remember early on in our marriage when we made every wrong financial decision possible. Money was tight and there were times where I had to put things back on the shelf at the grocery store. I am also a mom that works outside of the home and a big fan of make ahead meals and cooking in bulk. I also have a big garden and freeze lots of fruits and veggies and like to use coupons. This has resulted in the accumulation of over six months of groceries in my basement. We are moving this summer and my husband says two of our three full chest freezers need to be empty before we go. He is also not fond of the idea of moving hundreds of pounds of canned goods. 11 Ways to Save on Organic Produce Our normal grocery budget is $400 per month. For some families this may seem like a lot of money, for 1. Do research. Many people believe that orothers it may seem like a small amount. Some famiganic produce is chemical-free or that it is healthier than non-organic produce, which lies like to buy lots of organic foods and others like is not true in all cases. Many farms can’t to buy lots of premade items. My goal is to spend afford to gain organic certification, but are $100 this month. Perhaps your numbers look much chemical free, while many organic store different, but whatever they are write them down bought items use chemicals. and post them somewhere, maybe even Facebook. 2. Learn which types of produce require the Below are my weekly updates. most use of pesticides and avoid them. (See next page) 3. Volunteer at a farm . 4. Incorporate edibles into your landscape. 5. Let friends and family know that you are looking for excess produce from their gardens and fruit trees. 6. Eat seasonally. Do you really need to eat watermelon in January? 7. Go to a pick your own farm and freeze berries and other fruits. 8. Take advantage of BOGO sales on things like spinach at stores like Cub. 9. Stock up during a sale. Some foods like Week 1: Creative ways to use up cereal. I am making carrots store a really long time under the a lot of banana oat muffins from Cheerios. This right conditions. saves on flour and is an easy breakfast on the go. 10. Join a CSA , Co-op, or food share. They are very kid friendly too. Most food companies 11. Learn how to can fruits and veggies. Canned fruits and veggies preserved at the have recipes on their products or their company webpeak of freshness can be much healthier site. I spent $25 on loss leaders at the grocery store. than their store bought fresh counterparts.
Week 0: Time to get organized. I am sorting my stockpile room by expiration date so that I know what is going to expire soon so that I use it up. I have also come to the conclusion that some things are just going to have to get tossed, traded, or donated because they are too random. Traded? Yep. Find someone to trade groceries with and it will save lots of money. This is really good for pricey stuff like cooking oils (who really uses the whole bottle of vegetable oil before it expires?).
Week 2: I have been digging around for old gift cards and frequent points that I haven’t used to see how I can use them towards keeping our grocery bill down. I find myself struggling not to buy loss-leaders and with whether or not to buy certain foods in bulk or as needed. Buying a bulk item can really take a dent out of a grocery budget, but can save in the long term. On the plus side, I am at home more often now that I am not going to the grocery store as much. My husband also loves my scratch cooking.
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Healthy Money Habits– Pantry Challenge Cristy House– Northern MN Family Readiness Support Assistant, cristy.n.house.ctr@mail.mil
Week 3: My two local grocery stores are having their coupon book sales and normally I would be there every other day. Target is also having a fabulous cereal sale ($1.75 for 3 boxes of the new flavors). It has been really difficult saying no to all of the good deals. One thing to keep an eye out for is gift cards and frequent points for buying particular food items. For example, certain Eggo waffles sold for $2/box at Target right now come with a code inside that gives the purchaser a $5 gift card for every four codes entered. The codes also have a point value that can be used to print $1.50 off Eggo coupons. For awhile, I was buying four boxes of Eggos for $.50 each and getting a $5 gift card, making a profit of $3 for every four boxes I bought. There are websites that explain how to find these sales. Week 4: Never did I expect that this whole process would save me time and cut my errands in half. So far, I have spent $85 of my $100 budget and plan to stick to my goal. Initially, I thought I would probably do a binge shopping trip on the 1st of the month, but now I can’t wait to do this again next month. We have also discovered some new family favorite recipes, including homemade chicken pot pie (The Pioneer Woman). Follow Up: I have heard Americans throw away 40% of our edible food. Often, I think we have good intentions. We’ll get our groceries for the week and then things happen, the chicken isn’t thawed, lunch is ordered at work, or a salad is forgotten about. Grocery saving experts often focus on offensive strategies, such as meal planning and coupons. While all of these tactics are great, I have personally seen the best results in my grocery budget when I have focused on defensive strategies. Keeping food out of the garbage can is a challenge and requires dedication. Keeping a waste diary next to the garbage can help. I used to buy spring mix to have salads, but somehow I would end up eating pizza and have to throw it out. Now, I get spinach, because it can be frozen instead of tossed. I try to plan my meals around “use ups” and then augment that with sale items. Whatever strategy you use, if you are really serious, you will see great results. I have found participating in online forums on the subject to be helpful. March SFTK Sneak Peek: How to build up your Emergency Fund April SFTK Sneak Peek: Money Saving Spring Cleaning Recipes
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DEPLOYMENT RESOURCES WWW.MNVETERANSCOALITION.COM BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations for Children (PDF) www.cfs.purdue.edu/MFRI/resources/public/book_resources_for_children.pdf Recommendations for Teens and Young Adults (PDF) www.cfs.purdue.edu/MFRI/resources/public/ book_resources_for_teens.pdf Recommendations for Adults and Families (PDF) www.cfs.purdue.edu/MFRI/resources/public/book_resources_for_adults.pdf Recommendations for Educators (PDF) www.cfs.purdue.edu/MFRI/resources/public/book_resources_for_educators.pdf POST-DEPLOYMENT AND REINTEGRATION RESOURCES After Deployment Wellness Resources: www.afterdeployment.org www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/coming_home_adjustments_for_military_families Military OneSource: www.militaryonesource.mil Becoming a Couple Again: The Courage to Care: www.usuhs.mil/psy/RFSMC.pdf Concerned Significant Others Article: www.afterdeployment.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/library/ eLibrary_COS.pdf Real Warriors, Real Battles: www.realwarriors.net/active/afterdeployment/familylife.php Operation Healthy Reunions: www.nmha.org/reunions/resources.cfm Department of Veterans Affairs: PTSD Center: www.ptsd.va.gov National Veterans Foundation: www.nvf.org Wounded Warrior Project: www.woundedwarriorproject.org Adapt Parenting Program, U of MN: www.cehd.umn.edu/fsos/adapt University of Minnesota Extension- Parenting Education Resource: www.extension.umn.edu/FamilyRelations/components/militaryfamilies.html Homefront and Deployed Parent: Reunion Checklists: www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING COMBAT STRESS, PTSD OR OTHER STRESS RELATED ISSUES: Take your stress related symptoms seriously and contact your: Chain of Command - Team leaders, squad leaders, platoon sergeants/leaders, first sergeants, company/battalion/brigade commanders, command sergeants major Chaplains – Battalion or Brigade Chaplains or local place of worship Fellow Soldiers - Talk to your friends about your feelings. Oftentimes they are a reality check Military Family Life Consultants Military One Source Call 1-800-342-9647, or visit the Web site TRICARE Counseling - Spouses can go for free. Service members can often share a family member's appointment for marriage counseling Veterans Administration - or Veterans Centers. Army Substance Abuse Program - Especially helpful if the Soldier or family member has a problem with alcohol or drugs Primary Care Managers - Many family practice physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners are quite comfortable treating depression and sleep problems Community Mental Health Service - They usually have at least one psychiatrist and a variable number of psychologists and social workers on staff as well as behavioral health technicians
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ONGOING RESOURCES & DEALS INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL VACATION DISCOUNTS www.afvclub.com LOCAL MINNESOTA SUMMER R&R: Free & Reduced Stays at Leech Lake Resort: www.andersonsleech-lake.com 15% military discount to all current Servicemembers and up to a free week stay for all Servicemembers within a year of their return from deployment overseas. They offer fully equipped lake homes (whirlpool tubs, fireplaces, Cable TV, wireless internet, fully equipped kitchens) to daily planned children's activities to excellent fishing. See their website for more information.
Veterans on the Lake Resort: Where: 161 Fernberg Road, Ely, MN 55731 Toll free at 1-800-777 7538. http://www.veteransonthelakeresort.com/ A barrier-free full service resort for veterans and their families. In conjunction with the US Forest Service and the provisions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness, Enjoy lake view cabins in Northern Minnesota, inside the Superior National Forest area.
STRONG BONDS: COUPLE AND SINGLE SOLDIER RETREATS
The Minnesota National Guard Chaplain’s Office is offering you a truly outstanding program. Strong Bonds offers a fresh approach. It is basic and straightforward. Strong Bonds begins with teaching effective communication skills, addresses problem resolution strategies that work, reveals how to discover the hidden issues in every relationship, and then moves into caring, fun, and friendship. In addition to the couples retreats the Single Soldier program is designed to help you establish relationship goals and gain essential skills to help you make a good choice prior to picking a partner for life.
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ONGOING RESOURCES & DEALS ARMY / NATIONAL GUARD
www.minnesotanationalguard.com www.theredbulls.net www.defense.gov www.armyonesource.com www.militaryonesource.mil www.jointservicessupport.org
CARE PACKAGES / MAIL www.usps.com/shippingdates/welcome.htm www.operationgratitude.com
CHILDREN www.mdva.state.mn.us/child www.mnchildcare.org www.ausa.org/family www.guardfamilyyouth.org www.operationwearehere.com/Children.html MN MilitaryTeen Summit and Newsletter: www.btyr.org/teen-panel Minnesota Parents Know: www.parentsknow.state.mn.us After Deployment Adaptive Parenting Tools, U of MN, www.cehd.umn.edu/fsos/adapt Military Kids Toolkit: www.militaryfamilly.org/publications/kids-toolkit Military Child Education Coalition: www.militarychild.org Grants to Help Pay for Activities for Children of Deployed Soldiers: Website: www.OurMilitaryKids.org $500 after school activity grant for youth ages 3 – 18 during a deployment. Our Military Kids can also help fund scouting, driver’s education, camps, and more. Military & Family Life Consultant: Darlene Wetterstrom 651-212-0943 Provides assistance in a variety of areas, including guidance on reintegration with children following deployment. Websites specific to Military Children and Families: www.militarychild.org www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil
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ONGOING RESOURCES & DEALS COMMUNICATION www.skype.com www.magicjack.com www.google.com/voice www.yahoomessenger.com COUNSELING SERVICES Military One Source: 1-800-342-9647 http://www.militaryonesource.mil.
Military OneSource offers non-medical counseling services online, via telephone, or face to face. Eligible individuals may receive up to 12 sessions of non-medical counseling addressing issues requiring short-term attention, including everyday stressors, deployment and reintegration concerns, relationships, parenting, grief and loss, and marital problems as well as assistance with financial management, taxes, career services, health and wellness, and much more. This personalized support is available 24/7 no matter where you live or serve. Contact Military OneSource toll free at 1-800-342-9647 to get connected to counseling. Also visit online at www.militaryonesource.mil for more information. Veterans Linkage Line: 1-888-LinkVet (546-5838) www.minnesotaveteran.org They will provide assistance connecting soldiers and families to necessary resources to obtain help with crisis counseling, veteran’s benefits, healthcare, education, and reintegration. Available 24 hours day, 7 days a week. VA OIF/OEF Program & Hotline: 612-467-3757 *Available 7am-5pm, Monday through Friday. Connects OIF/OEF Veterans with local resources. When calling the number, press 2 to be connected to crisis center.
VA Regional Office OIF/OEF Coordinator: Duane Kamp 612-970-5249 Provides assistance with VA Benefits - available Monday through Friday. Lutheran Social Services (LSS) Counseling and Family Resources of MN: 1.888.881.8261 www.lssmn.org Director coordinating counselors for units around MN: Debra Schloer 612-879-5317 Available Monday through Friday and has a 24 hour crisis line. *Support for individuals and families, assistance for couples, and helps for children *Specialized Financial Counseling: Money problems can create other problems. LSS offers budget, debt management, and bankruptcy counseling so that people can regain control of their finances. Catholic Charities of Minneapolis and St. Paul: 612-664-8500 Assist in a large variety of problems and needs, including counseling and financial support.
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ONGOING RESOURCES & DEALS COUNSELING SERVICES CONTINUED… MN Guard Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC): Call 24 hour line at 651-282-4078 Statewide Domestic Abuse Hotline at the House of Peace: 1-866-223-1111 Offers temporary shelter for women and children leaving domestic abuse situations. *Available 24/7. COUNSELING / ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR Drug Abuse Hotline: 1-800-437-8422 *Available 24 hours day, 7 days a week Drug Information, Treatment and Referral Hotline: 1-800-662-4357 Provides support for people dealing with drug addictions. *Available 24 hours day, 7 days a week National Council on Problem Gambling: 1-800-522-4700: www.ncpgambling.org Confidential hotline for people struggling with gambling, Helps connect people to resources to help them fight their gambling addiction. *Available 24 hours day, 7 days a week CULTURAL RESOURCES The World Fact Book: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ Culture Gram: www.militaryonesource.mil o Free access through the DoD MWR Library Tab on the side of page. DEPLOYMENT Focus on Family: Know Before you Go: www.defense.gov/home/ features/2010/0610_knowbefore www.ausa.org/resources/familyprograms/Pages/default.aspx www.operationwearehere.com/MilitaryLifeDeployment.html www.afterdeployment.org
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ONGOING RESOURCES & DEALS EDUCATION Scholarship and programs: www.education4military.com Spouse Career Center: www.militaryonesource.mil Military Child Education Coalition: www.militarychild.org Service Members Education/GI Bill: www.gibill.va.gov EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE Transition Assistance Advisor:
Provides assistance to soldiers seeking employment and help in accessing Veterans Affairs benefits and health care services such as TRICARE from active duty and when you return. They also assist with dental care programs, insurance information such as SGLI and TSGLI, rehabilitative care, and help with disability claims. Available Monday through Friday Contact Vince Hokkanen: vincent.hokkanen@us.army.mil or 651-282-4234 Office: Cottage Grove Armory: 8180 Belden Blvd, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development: Work Force Centers: www.positivelyminnesota.com/JobSeekers/WorkForce_Centers www.positivelyminnesota.com Family Medical Leave Act: www.dol.gov/whd/fmla
Jobs for Veterans Program: Career Counselor and Employment Specialist Lisa Nabbefeld: 612.752.8408 Provides assistance to soldiers seeking employment. *Available Monday through Friday Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR): www.esgr.org What: ESGR exists to maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and resolving conflict through mediation. Their vision is to Develop and promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees. Service members are encouraged to follow “best practices” to keeping their employers aware of their service commitments. FAMILY SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE
State Specific Family Support:Minnesota Army National Guard State Family Programs Office: 651-268-8200. The MN Army National Guard has ten different Family Assistance Centers (FAC’s) located throughout the state. Call the FAC nearest to you for assistance or access to information regarding the many programs available to soldiers, family members, children and couples. *See FAC Map at the back of toolkit Military Family Care Initiative: www.militaryfamilies.state.mn.us Coordinates free assistance for MN soldiers and families in a variety of ways. Examples include: wood chopping, cleaning gutters, wedding or baby showers, handyman (minor home repairs) etc…
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ONGOING RESOURCES & DEALS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND CREDIT RESOURCES Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University: http://www.daveramsey.com/military/home or https://fpuonline.daveramsey.com Military Debt Relief: (National) www.militarydebtrelief.org Provides direction for people with large credit card, school loan, tax, or other debt. List your debt types, estimate your total debt, and get a free quote to see how much you can save on monthly payments. Potential Mortgage Relief (National): www.makingHomeAffordable.gov This is a website to help consumers find out if they are eligible to reduce their monthly mortgage payment as part of the "Making Home Affordable" program. Free Credit Report: Go to http://ww.annualcreditreport.com By law, everyone is entitled to one free credit report a year. Improve your Credit: http://www.optoutprescreen.com Sign up to be put on the national do not call list for credit and insurance solicitations. Signing up can help raise your FICO score. Energy Assistance Program: www.commerce.state.mn.us Get connected to the program in your area, call 1-800-657-3710 Minnesota Military Family Foundation: Leave a voicemail at 763-544-2255 or email info@minnesotamilitaryfamilyfoundation.org for help. Their mission is to seek funds to financially support deployed Minnesota military HEALTH / MENTAL HEALTH TriCare: Military Health Care Program: www.tricare.mil Telephonic Counseling 24/7 and other resources www.militaryonesource.mil Military Pathways: Free Mental Health Screening: www.militarymentalhealth.org Exceptional Family member Program: Special services for disabilities: www.armyonesource Complimentary Health Care Services: www.nwhealth.edu Northwestern Health Sciences University and the Adler Graduate School have combined to provide a new complimentary health care service program available to all military personnel and their families. Chiropractic health care services, Oriental medicine, psychological therapy, family counseling, acupuncture, and massage therapy are available to all Servicemembers and their immediate family. Senior interns supervised by faculty clinicians provide services.
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ONGOING RESOURCES & DEALS MEDICAL ASSISTANCE VA OIF/OEF Medical Outreach Coordinator: Dianne Peterson 612-467-5087 VA Medical Center Minneapolis: Troy Perdue troy.perdue@va.gov 612-467-1514 VA Medical Center St. Cloud: Mike Mynczywor (pronounced “minz-war”) 320-255-6480 ext. 6453 VA Medical Center Fargo: Deb Kunkel 701-232-3241 ext. 93787 VA Medical Center Sioux Falls: Elizabeth Flinn 605-335-3230 ext. 96983 LEGAL ASSISTANCE / ISSUES Legal Assistance – ***Refer to your Family Assistance Center www.minnesotanationalguard.org/soldiers_and_airmen/legal.php ww.military.com/benefits/content/military-legal-matters MN Assistance Council for Veterans will refer to legal aid: Metro area: 612-726-1327 Duluth: 218-722-8763 Mankato: 507-345-8258 MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS Strong Bonds: Marriage Retreats: www.strongbonds.org www.militaryonesource.com www.5lovelanguages.com MORTGAGE OR RENT ASSISTANCE Rent or Mortgage Assistance - MN Assistance Council for Veterans: Website: www.mac-v.org or 612-726-1327 If you fear you may be unable to pay your rent or mortgage, call the MN Assistance Council for Veterans. They provide rental assistance and mortgage assistance for veterans in danger of becoming homeless. They cannot make backdated payments on mortgage or rent, so contact them as soon as you see a potential problem. They will also refer you for additional help you may need.
PARENTS OF SOLDIERS www.bluestarmoms.org www.operationwearehere.com/Parents.html www.militaryfamily.org
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ONGOING RESOURCES & DEALS PET CARE www.netpets.org/militarypet/foster.php (recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense) www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org SPOUSES & SIGNIFICANT OTHERS Spouses and Significant Others: www.militarysos.com Military Spouse Magazine: www.milspouse.com Military Wives and Women in Uniform: www.cinchouse.com www.nationalmilitaryspousenetwork.org www.armymwr.com/recleisure/promotions/spousesresources.aspx www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil STRESS MANAGEMENT www.hooah4health.com www.militaryonesource.mil www.defense.gov/specials/stressawareness SUICIDE PREVENTION Suicide Prevention Lifeline (soldier specific): 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Provides the following support to anyone interested in suicide prevention, treatment, and service referrals ***Services are free and confidential. - Dealing with suicidal thoughts, feelings of hopelessness or extreme sadness - Concerned about a loved one who may be experiencing these feelings - Experiencing abuse or violence, Economic problems, Post-disaster needs, Homelessness issues, Substance abuse/addiction, Physical illness, Loneliness, Relationship problems, Family problems. The hotline is staffed by trained counselors and can refer to support services that can help you. *Available 24 hours day, 7 days a week MISC… Firewood - Free Firewood for Families of Deployed Minnesota Service Members The Adjutant General for the State of Minnesota has authorized the availability of firewood from the Camp Ripley for families of all Minnesota Service Members that are currently deployed (including pre-deployment and post-deployment). Families are entitled to 2 full cords of wood per year. Contact Mrs. Tami Klucas from the Family Assistance Center at 320-616-3117. This is an ongoing offer.
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