Washington – September 23, 2026 -- Blue Star Families will host its 2026 Welcome Week from September 26 through October 4, mobilizing hundreds of events nationwide to support the more than 600,000 military-connected families who relocate annually. Presenting sponsor Target will anchor the effort alongside corporate partners including Macy's, Starbucks, CSX, Chobani, Mondelez International, Leonardo DRS, Morgan Stanley, T-Mobile and Amazon.
Target volunteers to assemble 1,000 pantry kits at each of two marquee events
The campaign will open aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego on September 28 and close at the Virginia Air & Space Science Center in Hampton, Virginia, on October 5. At both sites, hundreds of Target employee volunteers will assemble and distribute 1,000 pantry kits containing Target-owned brand food essentials for families who recently completed a permanent change of station move to the San Diego and Hampton Roads regions.
Fourteen chapters nationwide run parallel local programming
Blue Star Families' 14 chapters will stage block parties, scavenger hunts and museum tours, including a Navy Band Northeast event at the USS Constitution Museum in New England, a Florida Aquarium gathering the Tampa Bay chapter calls its largest Welcome Week event to date, and a Sharonville Transmission Plant tour during Ford Family Day in Dayton. The National Capital Region chapter will host families at a Washington Nationals game and a D.C. United match.
Sponsors layer in retail and hospitality perks across the week
Macy's will offer private shopping experiences for military spouses at three store locations, Starbucks will run more than 50 "Coffee Connects" sessions at coffeehouses nationwide, and Mondelez International will supply OREO Cookie Challenges at all 14 chapter events.
Survey data shows eroding recommendation rates for military service
Citing the Department of War's 2024 Active Duty Spouse Survey, Blue Star Families said military families relocate roughly every two to three years — three times more often than civilian households — forcing children to change schools repeatedly. The organization's research found only 37% of military families would now recommend service to a young family member, down from 60% a decade earlier, alongside persistent challenges tied to belonging, financial strain and food security.
Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families, said the initiative aims to give military families a way to find community while showing civilians how to support them beyond the event week.
Blue Star Welcome Week launched in 2020 and coincides this year with the nation's 250th anniversary. A full schedule of events is listed on the Blue Star Welcome Week website.