The Singapore Area Coordinator (SAC) began the regional 2018 Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) Fund Drive with a kickoff event March 5.

The fund drive, scheduled to run for six to eight weeks, gives SAC community members the opportunity to make charitable donations that will provide assistance to Sailors, Marines, and eligible family members in need. For SAC leadership, this is an important resource as it has proven effective in past instances.

"The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is designed to be there when all else fails in a moment of crisis and financial need and when times get tough for the service member and family," said Capt. Jeffrey D. Hutchinson, chief staff officer for SAC. "NMCRS is a force readiness tool in a command's toolkit that is very responsive, if required. We've seen NMCRS in action locally after the unfortunate incident in 2017 with the USS John S. McCain, and it works."

A non-profit, volunteer service organization, NMCRS has provided needs-based financial assistance to Sailors, Marines, and their families since 1904.

"The NMCRS Fund Drive is all about Sailors helping Sailors," said Quartermaster 1st Class Yan Monterorivera, NMRCS Fund Drive coordinator. "All of the funds raised will stay within the Navy-Marine Corps community, financing a variety of programs including emergency loans, financial counseling, education assistance, health education and post-combat support, child budgeting, disaster relief, emergency travel funding, and basic living expenses."

According to Monterorivera, the fund drive has no financial amount goal. Instead, the command has a 100 percent contact goal.

"We want to ensure that every active-duty service member knows about the NMRCS's programs and that everyone a chance to contribute," said Monterorivera.

For more information on Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society visit http://www.nmcrs.org/.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Commander, Task Force 73, visit www.navy.mil/.