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CARY, N.C. – The North Carolina Heroes Fund, an organization aimed at helping North Carolina servicemen and women transition back into civilian life, received a $50,000 donation from Wal-Mart Wednesday. Officials say any donation helps them assist deserving families.

Organization leaders say deployments are not always the most difficult part of life for North Carolina's military families. Scott Stone, chairman and founder of the North Carolina Heroes Fund, says the transition back into civilian life can be tough, especially when troops are injured and unable to work.

"There are folks who are coming back who are wounded, and they're having to go through multiple surgeries or long-term hospital stays and that takes a lot of recovery time," said Stone. "I think a lot of times people forget the hardships of the families back home. They suffer in different ways but they suffer challenges as well. We wanted to create an organization that helped not just the men and women who are fighting, but their families as well."

The North Carolina Heroes Fund works to make the transition a little easier by providing financial assistance and educational grants.

"It could be helping out with a mortgage payment, helping out with a car payment. We're glad to be able to support them getting over those financial hurdles," said Stone.

Amanda Schulze, whose father recently served with the Air Force in Qatar for seven months, says programs like the Heroes Fund can be a big help for military families in need.

"It just frees up some of the stress and those types of burdens that cause a lot of problems and pressure and it allows them to concentrate on taking care of the family or taking care of other situations without being so worried about finances," said Schulze.

The organization was founded in January of 2007, and so far, they've raised about $250,000.