Roger Dunlap, Bob’s Senior Vice President of Retail (left) presents a donation to Darcy Clardy, Regional Director of Operation Homefront (right) with Ramesh Murthy, Executive Vice President, Operations (left center), Carol Glaser, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer (right center), Bob’s President & CEO Bill Barton (right) and managers from the Bob’s Midwest stores.
Bob’s Discount Furniture thanks our guests for contributing to our Café Collections for a Cause campaign to benefit national military nonprofit Operation Homefront. Through the generous donations of guests and a dollar-for-dollar match from Bob’s, $41,000 was donated.
Bob’s leadership team presented a ceremonial check to Operation Homefront along side more than 50 representatives from Bob’s stores in the Midwest.
The Café Collections for a Cause program invites guests to donate to charity partners throughout the year in every Bob’s store nationwide.
“Our Café Collection partnership is centralized around our store cafés, so it was such an amazing moment to have nearly one third of our store team members present this significant donation to Operation Homefront,” said Senior Vice President of Retail, Roger Dunlap.
Bob’s fundraising efforts were held from October through December 2023, and marked five years of partnership with Operation Homefront. Since 2019, Bob’s has contributed more than $250,000 to aid Operation Homefront’s programs and is proud to have contributed more than 100 volunteer hours.
Since launching in 2002, Operation Homefront has supported the basic needs of military families across America. Operation Homefront states, “Our mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities- OUR communities- they have worked so hard to protect.”
“We continue to be so inspired by the collective support we receive from Bob’s Discount Furniture and its customers as they join together, year after year, for incredible impact through Café Collections for a Cause,” said retired Brig. Gen. Robert D Thomas, President and COO of Operation Homefront. “Our military families have done so much for our nation in its time of need, and we are honored to stand with partners like Bob’s to be there for them in their time of need.”
“We are grateful to be celebrating five years of partnership with Operation Homefront, which has allowed us to contribute furniture, financial relief, and volunteer hours to the organization,” said Bob’s Discount Furniture President and CEO Bill Barton. “Our Café Collections for a Cause fundraising enables Bob’s and our guests to support active military and veterans who have done and continue to do so much for all of us.”
Operation Homefront provides relief and recurring family support programs and services throughout the year to help military families overcome short-term difficulties so they don’t become long-term hardships.
Meaningful Contributions
To kick off the fifth year of partnership, Bob’s helped furnish an apartment for Navy veteran, Felicite Gray and her new baby Aryah.
“It’s a blessing,” Felicite said. “It feels good to know the assistance I am getting is being done with genuine spirit. Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we don’t realize there are companies and entities that are willing to help.”
In addition to supporting Operation Homefront through financial contributions and furniture donations, Bob’s employees volunteered time for an annual Holiday Meals for the Military event.
Bob’s volunteers filled meal bags with all the items necessary for a holiday meal helping to serve more than 100 Connecticut families at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Middletown.
Nationwide, Operation Homefront provided 26,000 meals through the holiday meal distribution program in 2023. Since 2010, Holiday Meals for the Military has served over 750,000 military family members.
“Our partnership with Operation Homefront is significant for Bob’s and its guests on many levels,” commented Lindsay Ruszczyk, Communications Director. “We love that our guests can easily contribute in our Cafes and that we can financially support Operation Homefront as well contribute in a meaningful way through volunteerism.”
