Open Your Home for Operation Homeport

At some bases it’s known as the Host Family Initiative, and at others it’s Adopt a Sailor, but no matter what the program is called, the goal remains the same: Helping junior active-duty service members feel at home even when they’re not.

Currently in its infancy stages, Pax River’s Operation Homeport coordinators are seeking volunteer host families in the community to sponsor junior Sailors who are currently assigned to the naval air station. Host families do not have to have any military affiliation, but must live within 30 miles of the naval air station.

The sponsoring “family” can be a single individual, couples or a family with children, as long as the head of household is age 28 or older.

Operation Homeport is a way for Pax River’s Sailors who are away from home to create sustainable bonds with people who share similar interests and who genuinely care for their well-being.

To get involved, families will need to complete a Host Family Application which includes a general-interest questionnaire. The application allows program coordinators to match Sailors with a host family based on common interests. Additionally, families can request to host more than one Sailor or even a specific Sailor.

Active-duty service members interested in sponsoring a Sailor must be at least an E-7 or higher if enlisted, or O-3 or higher if commissioned.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Homeport, call the Patuxent River Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department at 301-342-0942, or visit the installation’s website.
–