Grinston thanks Exchange employees for contributions to fundraising efforts

ARLINGTON, Va. — During his first visits to installations as the new CEO of Army Emergency Relief, Tony Grinston is taking time to thank Exchange managers and employees for their efforts in raising funds for the nonprofit.

The Exchange partners with AER, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and the Air Force Assistance Fund to offer shoppers opportunities to donate at checkouts or on ShopMyExchange.com. Exchange shoppers have generously given more than $9.35 million since then, including $5.8 million to AER, since 2017.

Those donations fund more than 30 categories of assistance for Soldiers and Army Families — from help with rent and car repairs to emergency travel to funeral expenses to scholarships for spouses and children.

Grinston, who served as the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army, has met with Exchange employees at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Liberty, North Carolina, with plans for more stops across the Army. He is the first retired noncommissioned officer to serve as AER director in its 83-year history, retiring from the Army in 2023 after 36 years of service.

Find out more about AER programs and donate at https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org. Learn more about the Exchange’s support for military nonprofits at https://publicaffairs-sme.com/Community/give.