ACWORTH — Veterans Day is a day set aside to honor those who have served honorably in the military, in times of war and peace. However, many groups work year-round to support the men and women currently serving their country.

When Army Col. George Reynolds of west Cobb left his wife and two youngest children in June to serve in Afghanistan for a third tour of duty, it was difficult for all of them to bear. Yet his wife, Kate Reynolds, decided that she wanted to do more than sit at home and worry.

So in August, she joined Blue Star Families – a nonprofit founded in 2008 to support military families by bridging them with service organizations — and became its regional manager for Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. BSF has various programs and partnerships with other organizations to support military families.

On Saturday, Reynolds teamed up with the Yellow Ribbon Program, which prepares service members and their families for deployment, at an event in Marietta.

“I can’t tell you how many wives and mothers walked around with this absolute look of shock,” Reynolds said. “They need networking, especially when you don’t live in a military community. You need to be in contact with people who can help you.”

“We have five children,” she said. “It is overwhelming to be a single parent and knowing that your father, husband or someone you love is in harm’s way every day. I had all the kids at home when he’s been deployed before, so I could not really serve like I wanted to. And I feel like now I have found my calling.”

Many other organizations in Cobb are doing their share to support the troops.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday in November, the nonprofit Forgotten Soldiers Outreach Inc. is partnering with Kroger and Best Bank at 3330 Cobb Parkway, near Acworth Due West Road, in Acworth to encourage people to stop by and write a Christmas card. The cards, which are provided, will be shipped in December along with “We Care” packages to military personnel.

At Burnt Hickory Baptist Church in Powder Springs, the Support Our Soldiers ministry collects items to send to soldiers. The program was started by church member Jayne Pearson in 2006.

The church has a list of 50 soldiers that the ministry supports through prayer, care packages, birthday and holiday cards, monthly letters written by children, and donations, church member Karen Horacek said. She recalled that one mother has requested hand warmers for her son who was stationed in the mountains of Afghanistan in eight inches of snow.

Horacek and Pearson both have sons who have served in Iraq. Horacek said the SOS ministry is always willing to add more soldiers to its list.

“Our goal is to help others as much as we can,” she said. “These guys are really going through some difficult times as far as deployments.”

Over the past six months, the Starbucks at 2535 Dallas Highway near Barrett Parkway in Marietta has collected 200 bags of coffee donated by customers to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to its manager. The effort is expected to go on for a few more weeks.

Starbucks said it has partnered with the American Red Cross and the United Service Organizations to provide more coffee to relief efforts during times of conflict.

Last night, the Chick-fil-A restaurant at 2555 Dallas Highway organized a “military night,” where children and families wrote letters and made cards to send to service members overseas. Judi Ross-Stone, the restaurant’s evening manager, said several employees have relatives in the military and pitched the idea to corporate headquarters.

“We approached the post office, and the post office is helping us by sending it all free,” she said.

In September, Harrison High School collected more than $1,000 in calling cards at a football game against Kennesaw Mountain High. Hoya Moms distributed the cards to soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a Georgia National Guard unit preparing for deployment.

“It was a great opportunity to support our troops, who support us so much,” said Harrison High Principal Donnie Griggers.