SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Operation Homefront, the national non-profit dedicated to
providing emergency financial and other assistance to the families
of our nation's military, today kicked off the first of seventeen
events taking place across the nation through December 19 to distribute holiday meals to
military families.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110623/DC25541LOGO)
The Holiday Meals for Military Program began Thanksgiving 2009 as a 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 meals kits to military families in
2009 to providing 5,200 this holiday season.
The 5,200 meal kits, which include all the grocery items
necessary for a full holiday meal, will be distributed to lower and
mid-grade ranking military families, E-1 thru E-6, at seventeen
bases nationwide in December 2012,
including Camp Pendleton, Calif.;
Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Campbell, Ky.; Fort Carson, Colo.; Fort Drum, N.Y.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Knox, Ky.; Great Lakes Naval Base, Ill.;
and MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
"Military families are not only dealing with the effects of war,
but also the current economic difficulties," said Jim Knotts, President and CEO of Operation
Homefront. "So often these families are split up during the
holiday season from deployments. This year, we are helping
them bring the celebration home, and show that we are thankful for
the sacrifices that they have made for our country."
Distributing these meals is an important undertaking that will
be carried out in military communities and at local Operation
Homefront Field Offices across the nation. For more
information on how to volunteer or donate to the cause, please log
on to www.HolidayMealsForMilitary.org.
In addition to Beam Inc., sponsors for the program include
Chinet, Cargill, Southern Wine & Spirits, Mrs. Smith's®, and
Nestle Waters North America, Inc.
About Operation Homefront: A national nonprofit,
Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers with
nationwide presence, and has met more than 590,000 needs of
military families since its inception in 2002. A four-star
rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator, nationally, 94 percent
of total revenue donated to Operation Homefront goes directly to
assist service members. For more information, go to
www.OperationHomefront.net.
SOURCE Operation Homefront