{"id":11591,"date":"2025-08-25T17:56:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T17:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=11591"},"modified":"2025-08-25T17:56:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T17:56:23","slug":"army-air-force-exchange-service-marks-70-years-of-nourishing-warfighters-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/08\/25\/army-air-force-exchange-service-marks-70-years-of-nourishing-warfighters-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Army & Air Force Exchange Service Marks 70 Years of Nourishing Warfighters\u2019 Children"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 <\/strong>For 70 years, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has fueled our Nation\u2019s youngest heroes with nutritious, affordable meals<\/a> while giving military parents peace of mind.<\/p>\n

The Exchange\u2019s school meal program, in 73 Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools in seven countries (Japan, South Korea, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy and Turkey), serves meals under the same USDA guidelines as schools in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe school meal program is just another aspect of our family serving family core value,\u201d said Col. Jason Beck, the Exchange\u2019s Pacific Region commander. \u201cThe program brings tastes of home to the Nation\u2019s youngest heroes while allowing parents to stay mission-focused, knowing their children are well-fed at school.\u201d<\/p>\n

With about 20,000 meals daily, the program dishes up 3.4 million meals annually and is focused on providing whole grain, fruits and vegetables while reducing added sugars and sodium.<\/p>\n

The Exchange began serving meals in DoDEA schools in the United Kingdom in 1955. Since the implementation of DoD Directive 1015.5 \u201cDoD Student Meal Program (SMP)\u201d in 1983, the Exchange has been the official feeding source for all DoDEA schools.<\/p>\n

DoDEA schools in Europe and the Pacific receive their whole-grain baked goods from the Exchange\u2019s bakeries at Gruenstadt, Germany; U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys; Yokota Air Base; and Camp Kinser, Okinawa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great program because it offers nutritious options for our students who live overseas,\u201d said Margaret Bunton, an Army Reservist and Parent Teacher Student Association volunteer at Ramstein High School in Germany. \u201cSometimes as working family members and military members, it\u2019s not so easy to prepare meals every day. So to have that convenience of being able to send the kids to school knowing they\u2019re going to get a nutritious meal to make it through the day is very comforting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Free or reduced lunches are provided to children in families who meet income eligibility requirements.<\/p>\n

Qualifications for free and reduced-price meals are based on family size and income using federal income eligibility guidelines which are updated and published annually by the USDA. Parents can go to linqconnect.com\/public\/meal-application\/new<\/a>, enter AAFES DoDEA in the search field and fill out an application, including all family members and all income.<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 51st<\/sup>-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, the Exchange benefit has provided $15 billion in value to the military community, including through contributions to critical military Quality-of-Life programs. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a> or follow us on X at https:\/\/x.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Chris Ward, 214-312-3861 or wardchr@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

X:\u00a0 https:\/\/x.com\/shopmyexchange<\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 For 70 years, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has fueled our Nation\u2019s youngest heroes with nutritious, affordable meals while giving military parents peace of mind. The Exchange\u2019s school meal program, in 73 Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools in seven countries (Japan, South Korea, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":11593,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25],"tags":[160,174,107,35,63],"class_list":["post-11591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","tag-aafes","tag-army-air-force-exchange-service","tag-exchange","tag-military","tag-military-children"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/08\/25\/army-air-force-exchange-service-marks-70-years-of-nourishing-warfighters-children\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Army & Air Force Exchange Service Marks 70 Years of Nourishing Warfighters\u2019 Children","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/08\/25\/army-air-force-exchange-service-marks-70-years-of-nourishing-warfighters-children\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/08\/25\/army-air-force-exchange-service-marks-70-years-of-nourishing-warfighters-children\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/08\/54743338702_5564c10b1d_o.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/08\/54743338702_5564c10b1d_o.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Travis Day"}],"creator":["Travis Day"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["aafes","army & air force exchange service","exchange","military","military children"],"dateCreated":"2025-08-25T17:56:23Z","datePublished":"2025-08-25T17:56:23Z","dateModified":"2025-08-25T17:56:23Z"},"rendered":"