Founded in 1904 the mission of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is to provide financial, educational, and other assistance to active duty and retired members of the Navy and Marine Corps and their eligible family members. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society was founded in 1904 as a private, non-profit organization authorized by President Theodore Roosevelt to come to the aid of widows and orp
hans of service members killed in action. Not only did the organization provide monetary relief, but the Society also provided job training to widows so that they could eventually provide financially for themselves. Sponsored by the Department of the Navy, the Society operates nearly 250 offices ashore and afloat at Navy and Marine Corps bases worldwide. The Society accomplishes this mission principally through the disbursement of interest-free loans and grants. Furthermore, NMCRS also offers Combat Casualty Assistance (CCA) visiting nurse program, budget counseling, thrift shops, food lockers, and infant layettes through our Budget for Baby program, provides scholarships and interest-free loans for higher education. More than 3,600 trained volunteers accomplish the majority of the Society's work while supported by a small cadre of employees. NMCRS enjoys an active partnership with the Navy and Marine Corps and benefits extensively from the active involvement of the command structure on bases where the Society maintains a presence. Today, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society fulfills basic needs in the lives of our service members and their families. However, we have reached a point where the demand for our help is much greater than what we can provide. Historically, NMCRS has been supported by two annual fundraising events: the Active Duty Fund Drive conducted by the Navy and Marine Corps under the auspices of the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Navy's direct mail solicitation to retired members of the Navy and Marine Corps. We are now in the process of increasing our public presence in order to reach out to the community in support of these service members and their families.
