It Pays to Shop the Mountain Home AFB Exchange

  • Published
  • Mountain Home AAFES Exchange
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  The Exchange benefit at Mountain Home AFB is paying dividends in more ways than one.

Airmen shopping at the base exchange, dining at Burger King, Subway or Taco Bell and using other Army and Air Force Exchange Services activities including www.aafes.com last year generated a dividend of $417,569.

These funds are critical to Air Force Service's ability to enhance local programs and facilities including the Black Sands Marina, the Bowling Center and Silver Sage Golf Course.

"AAFES' dual mission is to provide goods and services at competitively low prices and generate earnings to support Services programs," said the Mountain Home AFB BX's General Manager Robert Cooper. "As a result, the dollars that troops and their families spend in AAFES facilities generates a healthy return on their investment by directly improving quality of life services."

The dual benefit AAFES provides military families goes far beyond the clothes, electronics or consumables available at the Exchange. In fact, purchases made in the past 10 years have provided more than $2.4 billion to military services programs such as youth services, post functions and aquatic centers.

Historically, roughly two-thirds of AAFES earnings are paid to Morale, Welfare, and Recreation programs. In addition to funding quality of life efforts, AAFES earnings are used to build new stores or renovate existing facilities without expense to the federal government. Funds to contract these new or replacement facilities also come entirely from sales of merchandise and services.