Active-duty military and veterans are getting Thanksgiving meals with all the trimmings this week in Brevard County, thanks to a group of volunteers.
Some 100 turkeys were brought in Monday morning from Michigan, donated by Jennie-O.
Each bird will provide a warm Thanksgiving meal to a veteran or active-duty service member as a way of saying thank you for protecting our country.
"This provides a personal touch, because we will be able to provide the meals for them," said U.S. Air Force Sgt. Tamika Cogdell, who works at Patrick Air Force Base.
Cogdell picked up 11 free turkeys — provided by the Space Coast Thanksgiving Basket Brigade, coordinated by the Three Wishes Hope Foundation — to feed 50 of her fellow colleagues who are working on the holiday.
"To say thank you to them for those who may not be able to get home and get a meal from their family," Cogdell said.
"The chiefs are actually going to cook Thanksgiving dinner with the stuff that we gave them for some of the junior enlisted that have to work on Thanksgiving," said Garren Cone, of the AVET Project, which was one of the organizations that sent volunteers to help.
More than 20 organizations in all volunteered, including high school sports teams, JROTC members, Cub Scouts and local businesses.
More than 70 AVET Project volunteers also spent Sunday prepping 1,100 complete meals through their Turkey Basket Brigade at the Satellite Beach Community Center.
(AVET Project)
The meals are going to military members and their families, but also to some needy ones in the county.
"We want them to know they are appreciated. They are not forgotten at this time," Cone explained.