Businesses can help make Thanksgiving brighter for a military family – all it takes is $10

A Rand Corporation study in 2023 reported that 25 percent of military families are dealing with food insecurity – defined as when a family does not have access to sufficient food or food of adequate quality to meet basic nutritional needs.

While there are a variety of reasons for this problem, the immediate need is to help these families celebrate Thanksgiving with a proper holiday meal.

The Military Support Alliance of New Jersey – through its Food Warrior Program and in conjunction with the American Red Cross – is working to make this happen.

Because every dollar of every donation to Food Warriors goes directly to buying food for military families, all it takes to provide a complete Thanksgiving meal for one family is $10.

The $10 donation goes completely to buying the full Thanksgiving meal consisting of a 10- to 12-pound turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, string beans, mushroom soup, French fried onion rings, sweet potatoes, corn muffin mix, pumpkin pie filling with pie crust and Hawaiian rolls.

Five years ago, when Operation Turkey Drop started, the program fed 100 families. This year, our goal is to feed 500 hundred families.

I hope businesses across the state will support this program and help us give more military families a Happy Thanksgiving.

Operation Turkey Drop is an extraordinary example of citizens supporting the men and women in our military who protect this nation so we can all enjoy a peaceful and bountiful holiday season.

Thank you in advance for your contribution to a cause that means so much to our military families.

You can donate here.

Gino Sciorilli is president of the board of directors of the Military Support Alliance of New Jersey.