How Fresh Coat's $40,000 Donation to Friends of the Troops Has Supported Military Families

Last year, Fresh Coat Painters franchise owner and military veteran Cameron Lee earned back a large percentage of his franchise fee as part of the brand’s Winner’s Circle Program, which rewards hard-working franchise owners that hit predefined milestones by refunding their entire franchise fee over time. Lee decided to donate that $20,000 to the veteran-focused non-profit organization Friends of the Troops and the Fresh Coat corporate team decided to match the donation, bringing it to a total of $40,000. In the few months since then, that charitable donation has gone a long way in supporting military families. 

“I knew I could give the money to our nation’s heroes who really need it,” Lee said. “The most important thing to me is giving back, and we try to help veterans organizations in every way we can each year.”

Friends of the Troops is a 501c3 nonprofit organization established to help members of the United States Armed forces who, for any reason, slip through the cracks of other organizations. The nonprofit is led entirely by volunteers who are committed to honoring, aiding and encouraging Veterans and members of every branch of the United States military.

“This Christmas, thanks to the Fresh Coat donation, we sent hundreds of stocking and care packages to troops overseas, as well as to some service members here in the U.S. who were at military bases or posts,” said Friends of the Troops Founder and CEO Jessica Duke. “We just wanted to send a thank you for their service around the holidays.” 

The donated money was also used to help military families in need. “Every family that we helped this year had a member who was currently serving our country, either on active duty, or as a reserves or national guard,” said Duke. “A lot of people don’t realize that there isn’t a military program out there that is created to support military families in need. We helped in as many areas as we could.” 

So, what did that help look like?

“This Christmas, we really wanted to make an impact and help give service members some relief,” said Duke. “We approached the holiday program with quality over quantity. We reached out to each family individually to ask what would be the most helpful this holiday season. Most people asked for groceries, formula, diapers. We were able to help with all of those things thanks to this donation.” 

Duke says Friends of the Troops donated bicycles, learning and educational toys, scooters, baby formula, grocery gift cards, car seats, books — anything the family needed. 

“We bought a stroller so one family could bring a baby home from the hospital,” said Duke. “Another family couldn’t afford a crib and they were intending to sleep with the infant in the bed with them, so we bought them a bissonnette. It was all about giving these families a breather so they could have a nice Christmas.” 

One family member wrote in a review: “Friends of the Troops has been a true blessing for my kids and I. I've been crying in secret tears of worry for the last three months but was finally able to pour out tears of comfort and joy today. I can't stress my appreciation enough for what has been done for my family.”

Overall, Friends of the Troops utilized the Fresh Coat donation to support over 30 military families in six states throughout the southern U.S. this holiday season.

“It was such an amazing experience seeing local volunteers, donors and people coming together to support these heroes,” said Duke. “There was not a dry eye in the room. With every person we helped, you could really see that joy and relief. We are very thankful for the generosity of Fresh Coat Painters and the experience we’ve been able to provide to these families.”

The total investment required to start a Fresh Coat franchise ranges from $53,850 to $76,750, including the $44,900 franchise fee. For more information, visit https://freshcoatfranchise.com/.