Page 14 - Wayne Dispatch Pages

10th annual holiday meals for Military members

By Sarah Shurge on Wayne Road in Westland.
As the leaves begin to change and If for any reason you are unable
the temperature begins to drop, hol- to pick up your meal during the
iday season is quickly approaching. scheduled day or hours of pickup,
We think of Halloween, Thanksgiv- contact the Wayne Ford Civic League
ing, and Christmas, but do you think at (734)728-5010 and you can sched-
of our veterans? ule a home delivery. Assistance, spe-
It’s important to give thanks to cial arrangements, or delivery
our veterans. That’s why Westland options are available. Westland Com-
Mayor Michael P. Londeau, Wayne munity Police Officers and Firefight-
Mayor John Rhaesa, Wayne-Ford ers will be delivering meals to
Civic League President Vic Barra, veterans.
and elected officials are coming to- Barra has been involved with the
gether for the 10th Annual Holiday program since day one when it
Meals for Wayne-Westland veterans started ten years ago.
and active duty families. After retiring from Ford in 2019,
“This is not a needy-veterans pro- Barra accepted the Director position
gram, this is a thank-you-for-your- under Mayor Wild. He also holds the
service program,” said Barra. “This title of Veteran Affairs Liaison. Barra
is a meal provided by your commu- is a veteran himself. He joined the
nity in gratitude for your service.” U.S. Air Force in 1977. Now, Barra
The program is for Wayne-West- you have to do is register using one 501©4 corporation. Tax ID 38- manages all things veteran that go
land veterans, surviving spouses, of the four following methods: 6085890). through City Hall.
and families of active duty service #1: You can register online with The John Glenn Football team “We’ve made a commitment to vet-
members. All you have to do is regis- the online form at will be volunteering staff for pre- erans to make sure the program con-
ter and then you will receive a free cityofwestland.com/615/Holiday- packaging the meals. tinues each year,” said Barra. “With
meal. Meals-for-Military-Members-Progr Veterans, active-duty service the way prices have increased, it’s be-
“We want veterans to get appreci- #2: You can call the Mayor's Of- members and/or their families can come more challenging to keep up
ation and pick up the meal even if fice at either: Mayor Londeau's Office pick up their meal on Saturday, No- with the costs of the program. We’re
they don’t need it. They can give it at (734)467-3200 or Mayor Rhaesa's vember 18th, between 10 a.m. and 1 reaching out to individuals and spon-
away to someone that does,” said Office at (734)895-9196. p.m. at the Wayne Ford Civic League sors to help support this.”
Barra. “Whether you eat it or give it #3: You can download the Vet-
away, it doesn't matter. We just want eran's Registration Form from the
to say thank you.” website listed above, fill it out, and
When the program originally email the completed form to either:
started ten years ago, they were only Mayor Londeau at mayor@city-
passing out 30 frozen turkeys from ofwestland.com or Mayor Rhaesa at
the trunk of their car. However, it jrhaesa@cityofwayne.com
quickly grew to supply an entire #4: Or you can drop off the com-
meal so veterans can invite their fam- pleted form at either City Hall build-
ily or friends over to eat with them. ing.
“There was a stigma attached Applications must be submitted
early on that this was for needy vet- no later than noon on Wednesday,
erans only. We’ve wanted to change November 15th, to receive a com-
the image of the program,” said plete holiday meal for free.
Barra. “It’s been ten years of veter- The fundraising goal this year is
ans feeling the love of their commu- 17K-20K, as they hope to increase
nity. It’s been a great ten years and the veteran sign-ups to 450+ meal
I’m happy I’ve got to be a part of packages. If you are interested in do-
this.” nating to the cause, please visit:
Once registered, recipients will checkout.square.site/merchant/MLY
receive a (12-16 pound) turkey, stuff- R3M6CPTB6C/checkout/LPN-
ing, mashed potatoes and gravy, WCQB6L62T2KEW3OCQG4GC,
sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, If you’d rather donate by check,
cranberry sauce, and heat and serve donation checks can be mailed di-
rolls for a family of 6-8 people. rectly without service fees being de-
267 meal packages were handed ducted from your gift and should be
out in 2020, 348 meals in 2021, and made payable to the Wayne Ford
392 meals in 2022. The remaining Civic League located at 1661 N.
balance of meals or any extra sup- Wayne Rd. Westland, Michigan
plies is given to the residents at 48185. Please note in the memo sec-
Thomas F Taylor Towers. tion: Veteran Meal Program 2023.
The meal is completely free, all (The Wayne Ford Civic League is a
14 · November 2023 · The Wayne Dispatch