Helping Our Troops, Inc. was founded in March 2005, by Kristen Maddox when she was a 21-year-old college student looking for a way to support the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and any other country where they were deployed.  She wanted to do more than just donate money, without knowing if it would actually go to the troops.  So, she decided to establish her own non-profit corporation which would allow individual troops to request the items they need.  She would then purchase those items and ship them directly to the soldier who made the request.

  Beginning with her friends who were already in their second and third deployments, Kristen fulfilled their
  requests and asked them to let their friends in Iraq know what she was doing.  Within days, she had a list of
  over 70 American military personnel who had e-mailed her requests for items such as gloves to protect their
  hands, socks and other items THEY wanted.  That list continues to grow, and she is determined to fulfill every
  request.  She understands that her efforts provide our troops with a direct link to people back home and
  demonstrates the level of support that we all share for them.

  "This is not about politics or about taking a position for, or against, the war.  This is about Helping Our Troops," says Kristen Maddox.  "This is about helping them get through the difficulties they face in war."

  In 2006, Helping Our Troops, Inc., which is based in Orange County, California, began receiving requests from returning veterans and their families for financial assistance. Many of the requests came from veterans who were struggling to get back on their feet after multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and other places of conflict. H.O.T. is also helping wounded veterans and their families.