Good help can be hard to find.

Fortunately for those who need it, there are people like Diane Formoso around.

Formoso, the founder of Caring For Kids, the nonprofit that provides such essentials as school supplies, food and clothing to needy students in the Clover Park School District, said she is seeing a steady increase in requests for assistance from military families.

"I see more families going to food banks, asking for help at the base ..." she said. "We do Christmas, school supplies and anything else we can do. We should do more, but we can only do so much."

Formoso said people often think the military is a high-paying job, but that it can be difficult for low-ranking officers to make ends meet, especially those with multiple children.

"Not everybody is of high rank," she said. "And for many of them, they don't have family close by to help. That's hard."

Aimee Tyvan, the school counselor at Carter Lake Elementary on McChord Field, said that many people joined the military when the economy crashed - and didn't realize it can take years to make good money. In turn, she is getting more number of requests for assistance. Carter Lake had more than 200 students on free or reduced-price lunch last year.

"I think there is a growing need," she said. "We're very thankful to Caring For Kids. Diane has done a great job of creating this resource for our kids."

Sandy Bonvouloir, the counselor at Hillside Elementary on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, felt similarly. She calls Formoso regularly for assistance for families at her school, which had more than 350 students on free and reduced-price lunch in 2011.

"Diane Formoso is amazing," she said. "She'll never say no; she'll turn over every stone."

Formoso said it means a lot to her to be able to help the families of the men and women fighting for our country.

"I love to help them," she said. "When you don't have support nearby like we have, it makes a big difference."

Formoso said it is especially challenging for non-military spouses whose marriages end and they have to move off base in a month, or those whose service ends and don't have a civilian job lined up. It isn't uncommon for her to get a call from a school counselor saying that a family has nothing.

"When you're far away and your family isn't able to send you money to help you out, it's difficult," she said. "And if you get kicked off base with three kids, how do you get home?"

Formoso said that she has found that many families are more willing to ask for help off-base because they worry that asking the military will negatively impact their careers.

"That's where we come in," she said. "If they're willing to ask for help at the schools, we're willing to help."

Tyvan agreed.

"I think there's maybe some pride in asking," she said, adding that she puts information about Caring For Kids and other resources in the school newsletter, and encourages families to contact her for help.

Formoso added that it is a common misconception that military children only go to school on JBLM, but in fact, they are enrolled at every school in the district. She works with school counselors to identify families that need help, whether it be shoes, a backpack of food for the weekend or holiday gifts.

"A lot of times, something happens with their paycheck at the last minute and they don't have money to buy food and have Christmas for their kids," she said, adding that their annual Holiday Fair provides gifts and new clothing for more than 2,000 children, and the Ready to Learn Fair every August gives children school supplies, eye exams and haircuts.