GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Col. Andres Nazario, 17th Training Wing commander, accepted a check from the Army and Air Force Exchange Service for $319,434 on July 20.
This check was a fraction of the $217 million dollars generated by AAFES in the 2019 fiscal year, split between the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps bases that have an Exchange shopping center on them.
“This is for Morale, Welfare and Recreation for them to do image upgrades for daycares, youth centers, bowling alleys, etc. for the men and women of Goodfellow Air Force Base,” said Base Exchange general manager Patricia Tinker.
Roughly two-thirds of the Exchange’s earnings are put toward MWR programs while the other third goes toward renovating stores and building new ones.
One of the main advantages of the AAFES dividends is that they’re a source of funding that costs the government nothing, but are entirely from the sales of merchandise and services.
“The AAFES dividends play a vital role in our ability to provide exceptional service delivery to the members of Team Goodfellow,” said 17th Force Support Squadron Director William Dowell. “The 17th FSS has an outstanding mission partner with AAFES, in our combined efforts to take care of our community.”