Exchange shoppers generate $495,000 for Misawa Community

MISAWA Air force base – Airmen, retirees, Veterans and military families know it pays to shop their Exchange. In 2019, authorized Misawa Air Force Base Exchange shoppers generated $495,000 of critical support for military Quality-of-Life programs in the form of earnings-based dividends.

The dividends help fund Quality–of-Life program at Misawa AFB, such as Armed Forces Recreation Centers and other programs that support the military.   

100% of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service's worldwide earnings are invested in the military community, with 59% going to dividends supporting Quality-of-Life programs and the remaining 41% used to improve the experience in stores and at ShopMyExchange.com.

“The Exchange is Family Serving Family,” said Misawa Exchange General Manager Kristine Cowley. “Exchange earnings improve the lives of Misawa heroes and their families.”

The Misawa AFB Exchange dividend is a part of the $217 million the Army & Air Force Exchange Service generated worldwide in 2019. In the last 10 years, the Exchange has contributed $2.2 billion to morale, welfare, and recreation programs integral to Air Force recruiting, readiness and resiliency.

Part of the Exchange’s dividend was generated by Veterans. On Jan. 1, 2020, 4.1 million Veterans with service-connected disabilities and certain caregivers were welcomed home with in-store shopping privileges. Since 2017, all honorably discharged Veterans have been authorized to shop the Exchange online. Veterans can find out more about their earned benefits on the Exchange’s community Hub page at https://bit.ly/Vets4Life.

Despite the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-changing retail landscape, the Exchange remains dedicated to supporting troops and their families, wherever the military mission takes them.