The Armed Forces Families Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping military families, announced on Wednesday that a total of $323,684 was raised during its annual fundraiser, with the support of participating Taco Bell and IHOP locations.

AFFF’s annual fundraising drive was held from Nov. 1-21, 2017, and included nearly 400 participating corporate and franchise Taco Bell and IHOP locations throughout the Southeastern U.S., including coastal Georgia.

Through this campaign, funds received at participating restaurants will stay in the area where they were raised to help fund local projects that support military members and their families.

“We are extremely grateful for the generosity of those who helped make our fundraiser an overwhelming success. The support we received from the public and our partners this year will help us to continue our mission and begin implementing new projects that benefit military members and their families,” said Thaddeus Foster, a member of the board at AFFF.

To date, the Armed Forces Families Foundation has raised and given back more than $2 million to benefit military families. Recent projects include:

$16,801 to completely furnish the new USO of North Carolina facility located within the Raleigh MEPS and the refurbishment of the USO of North Carolina RDU center$8,453 toward the outfitting of a new multimedia theater section within the newly constructed USO center at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield in Fort Stewart, Georgia$40,000 to install a new playground, accessible to over 800 families stationed on Mayport Naval Base in Jacksonville, Florida$49,006 to completely remodel and outfit a new recreation lounge at USO Corry Station in Pensacola with supplies and necessities$35,934 for the creation of a new USO center and family care facility at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown$31,978 for the construction of an event pavilion at the Asheville, N.C. VA Hospital

AFFF is unique in that it provides 100 percent of the funds raised directly to the development of permanent or semi-permanent infrastructure projects in the communities where the monies were raised.

With no overhead, AFFF is entirely comprised of volunteers, providing donors with the confidence that all contributions will be used to support projects that provide for those who care for our freedom.

To learn more about AFFF, lend support or receive updates on new projects, visit www.armedforcesfamiles.org.