For media inquiries, please contact Michael Lahrman at Michael.Lahrman@operationhomefront.org or call (210) 202-1243.
Operation Homefront to Serve Holiday Meal to 500,000th Military Family Member Since 2010
SAN ANTONIO – Holiday Meals for Military®, the annual recurring program from Operation Homefront, has returned to put meals on the tables of America’s military families over the end-of-year holidays. The program provides lower- and mid-grade ranking military families with all the grocery items necessary for a full holiday meal, helping to ease a widely felt financial burden and to make the holiday season brighter for those who sacrifice so much. This year, the national nonprofit will serve its 500,000th individual family member since the program officially began in 2010.
Thanks to the generous support of partners including Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., Chobani, P&G, Lockheed Martin, Food Lion, Bob Hope Legacy, SAS Shoes, and others, meals are being distributed at events across the country this holiday season.
“Our Holiday Meals for Military® program is a critical component of the wide range of highly-valued programs we offer that are designed to give our military families the opportunity to do more than simply struggle to get by in the communities — OUR communities — they have worked so hard to protect,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., President, and CEO of Operation Homefront. “As we all know, this year has been particularly difficult and I am proud to say with the continued, and in many cases increased support of our many like-minded partners, we have been able to continue to help our military families in their time of need for all they have done for all of us in our nation’s time of need.”
This year’s Holiday Meals for Military® program will adhere to federal, state, and local COVID-19 guidelines. Most of the events will be delivered in a drive-through format, with volunteers following CDC guidelines. Meals will be distributed as traditional meal kits or in the form of a gift card, giving families the opportunity to purchase their own holiday meal contents.
Registration is now open for eligible military families to receive holiday meals at more than 70 locations nationwide, including Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, Tampa, FL, Washington D.C., San Diego, CA, and Norfolk, VA. The annual program will conclude on December 19. See all Holiday Meals for Military® event locations and register.
The Holiday Meals for Military program began as the result of a chance encounter in a supermarket in Utica, N.Y. A soldier, his wife, and his infant had a handful of grocery items they could not afford, so a Beam Suntory employee took care of the $12 cost for the groceries. The generosity led to the creation of Operation Homefront’s Holiday Meals for Military® program. In addition to distributing meals in November and December, Operation Homefront holds Holiday Meals for Military events throughout the year for Easter, Independence Day, Veterans Day, and more.
For more information on how to volunteer or donate, visit our Holiday Meals for Military page.
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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, over 90 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.