Active-duty military, active guard or reserve, post-9/11 wounded, ill or injured of all ranks and their families may register now at www.operationhomefront.org to receive a free holiday meal from Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront will distribute 200 holiday meals to military families here through its annual Holiday Meals for Military program. The distribution event will take place at 136 ESB National Guard Armory on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Only those who register online by Thursday, Nov. 15, will be able to pick up a bag of non-perishable groceries and a gift card redeemable for the rest of the food necessary for a full holiday meal. To register and reserve a meal, visit www.operationhomefront.org and click on the event. The links to events are listed at the bottom of the webpage.
The Holiday Meals for Military program began Thanksgiving 2009 as the result of a chance encounter in a supermarket in Utica, N.Y., near Fort Drum. A soldier, his wife, and infant had a handful of grocery items they could not afford, so a Beam Inc. employee picked up the $12 cost for the groceries. Since that time, the program has grown from initially providing 500 meal kits to military families in 2009 to providing nearly 4,000 nationally so far this holiday season.
About Operation Homefront: Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America’s military families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.
-The Katy News