DAYTON, Ohio — Since 2017, a free and unique networking event has popped up in different cities across the country to bring together military spouses.

MilSpouseFest made its way to Dayton and Southwest Ohio for the first time.

Inside the room of 80 spouses, there’s no shortage of stories.

What You Need To Know

  • MilSpouseFest hosts its first networking event in Dayton.

  • Eighty military spouses came together to network, share stories, and make connections.

  • Spouses can learn about new opportunities and leave with a feeling of knowing they aren't alone in their struggles.

  • Ashley Gutermuth uses her platform as a military spouse and comedian to boost morale in the community.

“I have joked since we have retired and moved here to Dayton that I need my own MilSpouseFest so that I can make friends and make connections. It’s just lovely to be in a room where you can see them conversing and getting to know one another,” said veteran spouse and event senior manager Danya Devine.

MilSpouseFest brings together some of the top military family resources under one roof.

Guests hear inspirational speakers, they have opportunities to network, and even discuss some pretty heavy topics.

“We have some really strong topics that we get nervous to talk about in our space,” Devine said.

Topics like addictions, difficulties when a loved one comes home, and family life struggles can all come to the surface.

Ashley Gutermuth uses her platform as a popular stand-up comedian and military spouse to help boost the morale of the military community.

Over the years, she’s also seen issues like food insecurity come to light.

“I lived in New Jersey. I started seeing people posting about giving blood for food or wanting to sell their wedding rings, engagement rings, pawn them for food, and I was like ‘what is happening’. Then I started to learn about the statistics, how one in four military families are food insecure,” Gutermuth said. 

According to a national Blue Star Families survey, food banks are a major food sources for 14% of active duty military families who responded to the survey.

In Ohio, that number creeps up to 16%.

“If you move every two years, you have to completely reinvent your life and a lot of people can’t take their job with them, a lot of spouses can’t take their job and they have such a high unemployment rate, I think the last time I checked it was 27%,” Gutermuth said.

Each move can cost a family thousands of dollars.

In Ohio, 29% of survey respondents said they are “just getting by”.

For Gutermuth, helping to ease the stress of food insecurity is something she holds close.

She helps the Stronghold Food Pantry in Kansas.

“As I tour with my standup, we take food gift cards, commissary gift cards, to military families around the world and we’re trying to expand all throughout the United States to try to help as many people as possible,” she said.

Across the country, housing costs continue to be a major issue for military families.

In Ohio, 57% of families live more than 30 minutes from base.

“The rise in housing, the cost of living, in general, is just creating this rise and need for better food security,” said military spouse and Blue Star families Dayton and SW Ohio assistant Maria Frutiger. 

While costs and employment play a major role in the stressors of military life, for these spouses, the time spent here is a way to feel appreciated and a way to see they aren’t alone.

“A lot of our spouses, 60% of them, come alone, which is extremely brave, and then we hear them say they walk out with a new friend,” Devine said.

According to the same Blue Star Families survey, along with housing costs, food insecurity and health care access, child care remains a top barrier for spouse employment.

Sixty-eight percent report needing child care in order to work and 35% cannot find child care that works for their employment needs.

The monthly average child care cost in order for an active-duty military spouse to work is more than $750.