When I was 7, my twin brothers were drafted into the United States Army to participate in the Vietnam War. They had just turned 18 and had never been away from home. Needless to say, this was a very emotional time for all of us. I remember sitting on the floor at my mom’s feet, listening to their weekly update they had recorded on a cassette tape. This was something we all looked forward to as it kept them close and we knew they were safe. When the twins came home, they decided to make a career of the military. My mom could not have been more proud! They both rose to their rank of Captain and retired after more than 25 years of dedicated service. One thing we learned about life of a deployed military man is they miss the comforts of home so much. I cannot imagine living in the barracks with dozens of other enlisted men, eating the food from the mess hall and being thousands of miles away from home.
My brothers would write and record messages to my mom about how much they missed her home cooked meals. They said they missed her meatloaf and pot roast, and of course her turkey and homemade dressing at Thanksgiving and Christmas. With Thanksgiving just behind us, it made me think of all the enlisted men and women who weren’t able to celebrate the holiday with their families. When I heard about the Comforts From Home Project from Marie Callender’s, it brought tears to my eyes. In this campaign, Marie Callender’s will make a $.50 donation to the USO Operation Celebration program, for each code entered, up to $300,000. Consumers can find a list of participating Marie Callender’s products and see how many codes have been entered to date with the real-time code tracker.
My family loves Marie Callender’s because they create homemade meals and desserts made with high-quality ingredients and signature special touches. I love that I can give my family a meal we can take time to savor, both the food and each other’s company! This fall, Marie Callender’s announced the return of the Comforts from Home Project, a partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO) that’s dedicated to bringing the heartwarming feelings, flavors, and favorites of home to those who miss it most. This makes me think of my brothers who missed two Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays while they were overseas. You can help our troops celebrate the holidays by picking up a few of the specially marked boxes from Marie Callender’s, and going online and enter the code found on the back of the box. You can easily find the codes on specially-marked packages of Marie Callender’s meals and desserts. We chose the 3 Meat and 4 Cheese Lasagna Meal and for dessert, the Key Lime Pies. To enter the code, all you need to do is turn the specially marked box over, and you will see the code. Follow the directions and enter the code via your computer or mobile device. It literally to me about 10 seconds to find and enter the code on the Lasagna Meal box.
Just think, from September 1, 2015 through January 29, 2016, with a few clicks, you can help our troops celebrate the holidays. Last year, Marie Callender’s brought care packages to a very deserving group of servicemen and women stationed overseas through a $250,000 donation to the USO2GO program. The USO Operation Celebration program is dedicated to provide a “home away from home” for our deployed troops stationed around the world to make sure every holiday, small or large, is celebrated. The program ensures that our troops have a place to celebrate every holiday, with or without their families, bringing the comforts of home that can often be taken for granted, such as seasonal meals, company, entertainment and a chance to relax away from the stress of active service.
For every entry by 1/29/2016 of an 8-digit code found on participating products, Marie Callender’s will donate $.50 to the USO Operation Celebration program. Guaranteed minimum donation: $100,000. Maximum donation: $300,000. Limit 5 code entries per person/computer each day. Valid in U.S. Only. In addition to the on-pack promotion, the Comforts from Home Project will partner again with Scripps Networks to give deserving military families touches of home within 3 popular TV shows: Guys Grocery Games (Food Network), Kitchen Crashers (HGTV and DIY Network) and Hello Goodbye (Travel Channel). Each program offers a unique way to give back to those who defend our homes every day. Scripps Networks will also be re-airing the one-hour program, A Hero’s Welcome, from the 2014 Comforts From Home Program on Veterans Day on Food Network.
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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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