Food and Gas Assistance Helps Army Veteran, Single Mom
At the age of 12, Roxie Talavera saw a military parade in Monterrey, Mexico, where she lived with her grandma. She said then, “I’m going to be a soldier.”
After moving back home to Laredo, Texas – where the rest of her family lived – Roxie joined JRTOC at her school. She threw herself into program, and just like she predicted, she loved it. Roxie also became a teen mom.
Knowing she wanted to provide a stable life for them both, Roxie joined the Army in 2008 and became a military police officer. She knew she had found her place.
Her first two deployments were to Iraq in 2009 and 2011. Her next was Afghanistan in 2013-2014. She was then stationed in Guantanamo Bay in 2015-2016.
While she loved her career and being a soldier, the military had its challenges and dangers. She survived military sexual trauma, and she saw fellow service members killed in IED or mortar blasts. In one case, she had to remove the body of one of her mentors after a fatal attack.
“Operation Homefront gave me light in a very dark spot.” – Roxie Talavera, Army veteran
The traumas weighed on her, but she kept quiet because she didn’t want to be stigmatized. In 2018 she was medically retired after a attempting to take her life.
Roxie settled in Floresville, Texas. Her 21-year-old son, Rudy – a college student – and her 3-year-old daughter, Kilani, live with her.
With limited child-care options in her small town, Roxie struggled to find work and fell into debt. She chose to pay utility bills first to prevent disconnections. She skipped meals so her son and daughter could eat. Roxie even surrendered her dog to save money.
She turned to Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance Program® after hearing about it from Wounded Warrior Project.
The CFA program helps with overdue bills, home repairs, and other critical family needs.
Thanks to the Oak Foundation and other generous Operation Homefront donors, Roxie received $400 in food assistance and $100 in gas money to help her get to job interviews. She now works part-time job at a gas station and attends the fire academy. She is grateful to donors for bringing relief.
“This program impacted my family in a very positive way,” she said. “I was going to food drives and still did not have enough for us to eat. Operation Homefront gave me light in a very dark spot.”
Since 2011, the national nonprofit has provided more than $47.5 million through its Critical Financial Assistance program to help military families stay strong, stable, and secure.
