Blue Star Families Receives $1 Million from Craig Newmark

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2023 –  Blue Star Families (BSF), a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting military families and strengthening communities, is honored to accept a generous $1 million donation from Craig Newmark, philanthropist and founder of craigslist, to combat food insecurity and its underlying causes for military families. The funds will assist BSF in providing vital support to military families, including healthy food, building trust networks, better integration into local communities through the Welcome 365 initiative co-chaired by Newmark, and other essential resources. Announced at the iconic White House Correspondents’ Day Brunch (also known as “the nerd prom”) as a $500,000 donation, saying of the check “it says half a million, but I think I can do better” before crossing it out and raising it higher. 

Six hundred thousand families move every year on government orders and need to be welcomed into communities. Many of those families are at risk. 

“It’s a scandal that over a quarter of enlisted families face food insecurity and we can do better,” said Kathy-Roth Douquet, BSF CEO and Founder. “BSF is so grateful to Craig Newmark for recognizing the complexity of the problem and the interlocking issues that cause it. Among them is broken trust networks, because most people solve problems through people they know, and military families are often isolated after multiple moves into local communities and not onto bases. We need direct support and legislative release, but we need to create connections too. Military service is a team sport – the whole family serves and needs support.  This truly is a testament to his unwavering dedication to supporting the military community.”

“No family should have to choose between feeding and housing their kids. I feel it’s worse when it comes to the military families protecting us. This pisses me off,” said Craig Newmark. “Blue Star Families already makes a lot of good happen, and I’m putting my money where my mouth is. Patriots, people who take that word seriously, patriots who have the means should pony up the dough. Like I say, a nerd’s gotta do what a nerd’s gotta do.”