Operation Deploy Your Dress opens Fort Benning location, gives free dresses to Soldiers, Families

FORT BENNING, Ga. (Aug. 31, 2018) - The Fort Benning Community Spouses Club hosted a pop-up boutique at the Benning Club at Fort Benning, Georgia, to celebrate the grand opening of Operation Deploy Your Dress Aug. 30.

Fort Benning is the fifth location for Operation Deploy Your Dress, a nonprofit organization that provides donated dresses and accessories to military ID cardholders and their dependents at no cost.

"We're all really excited to be able to host something that is self-sustaining for our community," said Faith Bomar, president of the Fort Benning Community Spouses Club. "It's neat to leave that imprint here at Fort Benning."

Operation Deploy Your Dress was started as a dress swap among friends in Fort Bliss, Texas, in 2015 as a way to cut down costs associated with attending unit balls and other formal military events. The idea evolved into a brick-and-mortar storefront where eligible shoppers can treat themselves to one free dress and accessory each year.

In addition to Fort Bliss and Fort Benning, Operation Deploy Your Dress has locations in Fort Eustis, Virginia, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and Fort Irwin, California. Yvonne Coombes, co-founder and president of Operation Deploy Your Dress, said they partner with spouse clubs at each installation to staff the stores.

"We are an all-volunteer organization," Coombes said. "That's what the heart of the Army is, right?"

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Benning News on the Army News Service