Thursday, December 2, 2021

Veterans meal program helps 300 local families

Wayne Mayor John Rhaesa, Westland Mayor Bill Wild
and Wayne Ford Civic League President Vic Barra celebrate
the success of the meal program for veterans this year.
The 8th annual free holiday meals for Wayne-Westland veterans, surviving spouses, and families of active-duty service members distributed more than 300 full Thanksgiving meals to local families.

Westland Mayor William R. Wild, Wayne Mayor John P. Rhaesa, Wayne-Ford Civic League President Vic Barra, elected officials and nearly a hundred volunteers expressed their gratitude and thanked the men, women and families who have served in the military as they distributed the boxed groceries. 

The groceries and supplies for a full-family meal were packaged and loaded into cars and trucks along with a huge turkey for the traditional Thanksgiving feast.

More than 50 supplies for meals were delivered to the homes of veterans in the area.

Organizers said the effort was made possible by the donations and support of several local businesses and organizations including cash donations, along with gifts of food and the load of equipment. Among the donors this year were the Westland Rotary Club which provided a $5,000 grant toward the effort; American House Senior Living Westland Venoy which donated 400 turkeys, Kroger, U.S. Ice which loaned the use of a storage truck, VFW 9885 BOVA Auxiliary which donated $1,000, Meijer of Westland, and the Wayne-Ford Civic League. 

Volunteers from local organizations including the Kronk Gym Youth Development Program (Norwayne Boxing Gym), Westland Democratic Club , Wayne-Westland Community Schools, Westland Chamber of Commerce, Westland City Council members, Livonia Churchill High School students, the Michigan Army National Guard, and the Westland Police Community Partnership made this the most successful event since it began eight years ago, organizers said.