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9th annual holiday meals for military members program

By Sarah Shurge vember 19th, between 10 a.m. and 1
When we think of Thanksgiving, p.m. at the Wayne Ford Civic League
we tend to think of food, family, on Wayne Road in Westland.
friends, or even football, but do you If for any reason you are unable
think of our veterans? to pick up your meal during the
It’s important to give thanks to scheduled day or hours of pickup,
our veterans. That’s why Westland contact the Wayne Ford Civic League
Mayor Bill Wild, Wayne Mayor John at (734)728-5010 and you can sched-
Rhaesa, Wayne-Ford Civic League ule a home delivery. Assistance, spe-
President Vic Barra, and Elected Of- cial arrangements, or delivery
ficials are coming together for the options are available. Westland Com-
9th Annual Holiday Meals for Wayne- munity Police Officers will be deliver-
Westland veterans and active-duty ing meals to veterans.
families. “We make sure everyone gets their
“This is not a needy-veterans pro- meal if they sign up for it,” said
gram, this is a thank-you-for-your- Barra.
service program,” said Barra. “This Barra has been involved with the
is a meal provided by your commu- program since day one when it
nity in gratitude for your service.” started nine years ago.
The program is for Wayne-West- After retiring from Ford in 2019,
land veterans, surviving spouses, Barra accepted the Director position
and families of active- duty service Veterans will receive a free holiday turkey with all the fixings. under Mayor Wild. He also holds the
members. All you have to do is regis-
ter and then you will receive a free they are planning for 400 meals this
meal. year.
“We want veterans to get appreci- The meal is completely free, all
ation and pick up the meal even if you have to do is register using one
they don’t need it. They can give it of the four following methods:
away to someone that does,” said #1: You can register online with
Barra. “Whether you eat it or give it the online form at cityofwest-
away, it doesn't matter. We just want land.com/615/Holiday-Meals-for-
to say thank you.” Military-Members-Progr
When the program originally #2: You can call the Mayor's Of-
started nine years ago, they were fice at either: Mayor Wild's Office at
only passing out 30 frozen turkeys (734)467-3200 or Mayor Rhaesa's
from the trunk of their car. However, Office at (734)722-2000.
it quickly grew to supply an entire #3: You can download the Vet-
meal so veterans can invite their fam- eran's Registration Form from the
ily or friends over to eat with them. website listed above, fill it out, and Wayne Mayor John Rhaesa, Superintendent of the Wayne Westland Community
Once registered, recipients will email the completed form to either:
receive a (12-16 pound) turkey, stuff- Mayor Wild at mayor@cityofwest- Schools John Dignan and Westland Mayor Bill Wild, with boxes of holiday meals at
ing, mashed potatoes and gravy, land.com or Mayor Rhaesa at last year’s event.
sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, jrhaesa@cityofwayne.com City Hall building. title of Veteran Affairs Liaison. Barra
cranberry sauce, and heat and serve #4: Or you can pick up a Vet- Applications must be submitted is a veteran himself. He joined the
rolls for a family of 6-8 people. eran’s Registration Form at the West- no later than noon on Wednesday, U.S. Air Force in 1977. Now, Barra
267 meal packages were handed land City Hall Greeter Station and November 16th, to receive a com- manages all things veteran that go
out in 2020, 348 meals in 2021, and drop the completed form off at either plete Holiday Meal for free. through City Hall.
If you are interested in donating “Giving back to the community is
to the cause, please visit: what I do,” said Barra. “This meal is
gofund.me/caf02579. The cut-off for a form of appreciation that's tangible.
donations is November 16th at the It's nice to hear thank you for your
end of the registration period. service.”
The John Glenn Junior Varsity Westland Mayor Bill Wild, Wayne
Football team and Kronk Gym will Mayor John Rhaesa, and Barra cre-
be volunteering staff for pre-packag- ated a promotional video for the
ing the meals. There will also be vol- meal program. You can find it on the
unteers from the Westland Rotary, City of Westland’s Youtube page.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post “This is a great program. I’ve met
9885 Auxiliary, Taylor Towers ad- veterans in the past that have used it
ministrative staff, and many other in- and were very appreciative,” said
dividuals. Mayor Rhaesa. “I’m glad we are able
Veterans, active-duty service to give back to the people that have
members and/or their families can served our country.”
pick up their meal on Saturday, No-
The Wayne Dispatch · November 2022 · 7