Today is November 11, 2015 – Veteran’s Day. It’s a special day to honor and celebrate the men and women – past and present – who have dedicated their lives to protecting our country and our people. : Wave your American, Navy, Air Force, Army and Coast Guard flags proudly.
I almost joined the military when I was a young girl. I had just graduated high school and realized that I wasn’t quite ready for college yet.
I have military people in my family. My grandfather was in the Navy during WWII. My father was in the Army around the time of Vietnam (he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan) and my brother was in the Marines back in the early 70’s (stationed in Camp Pendelton, California). So we had someone in our family from the three major branches – Navy, Amy and Marines. My brother tried to talk me into joining the Marines, but I didn’t think I had what it takes to do that. I actually thought about the Coast Guard or Air Force – figuring I’d join a different branch. The Air Force was out because even with corrected vision my eyesight doesn’t meet their requirements. So I decided that maybe the Coast Guard was for me.
I ended up getting a full time job with the phone company where I worked a few years and returned to college.
Having family members who were in the military, I know how very important it is to show them how much we appreciate all that they do for us and our country. That is why I appreciate programs like Marie Callender’s Comforts from Home Project.
If you are not familiar with Marie Callender, the brand creates homemade meals and desserts, made the way grandma would make them using quality ingredients and those special little touches.
The Comforts of Home Project is a partnership between the Marie Callender brand and the United Service Organizations (US).
Marie Callender has specially marked packages of food products (found in the frozen food section). You’ll be able to recognize them by the red, white and blue “Support our Troops” banner.
Each one of these specially marked packages has a special code found on it. Simply take that code and go online to Comforts from Home website and enter in the code found on the back of the box.
For each code entered Marie Callender’s will donate .50 to the USO Operation Celebration program – up to $300,000.
The funds raised are used to provide comforts of home to our troops, so that they have a place to celebrate every holiday – with or without their families. The program brings comforts of home that others take for granted, like seasonal meals, company, entertainment and care packages.
Last year, Marie Callender’s Comforts from Home Program, along with consumers support, brought care packages to a very deserving group of servicemen and women stationed overseas through a $250,000 donation to the USO2GO program.
Donating the points from your specially marked packages is so easy. Simply visit the Comforts from Home website, enter in the code number and hit enter. You’ll get a pop-up asking you for what state you are in. Once you enter that you are all done and ready to enter more codes if you have them.
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.
The program runs through January 29, 2016.
To find a list of participating Marie Callender’s products, and to see how many codes have been entered to date, visit the real-time code tracker page.
In addition, Comforts from Home Project has partnered 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 of these programs 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.
You can find the on-air showtimes here.
I hope you’ll participate in the Marie Callender’s Comforts from Home Program. It’s so easy to do and it would make the world to our troops.
Kimberly
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.