Operation Homefront Thanksgiving

(From left to right) Lockheed Martin employees, Beatrice Aviles, Jack Danielson, Courtney Magill and Ramon Barboza Jr., handed out bags of canned foods to servicemembers in the Base Theater Nov. 7. San Diego-based Operation Homefront partnered with Lockheed Martin and the Edwards AFB First Sergeants Council to bring Thanksgiving gifts to Airmen in need. Each family received a bag of non-perishable food items and a gift card to the Commissary to purchase perishable items, like a turkey or ham, for their Thanksgiving feast. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rebecca Amber)

Operation Homefront Thanksgiving

Victoria Van Conant, Lockheed Martin, showed Airmen their choices of DVDs for family entertainment following this year's Thanksgiving meal. Operation Homefront partnered with Lockheed Martin and the Edwards AFB First Sergeants Council to bring Thanksgiving gifts to Airmen in need Nov. 7. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rebecca Amber)

Operation Homefront and Lockheed Martin spread holiday cheer

Published Nov. 8, 2013
By Rebecca Amber
Staff writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., -- Operation Homefront partnered with Lockheed Martin and the Edwards AFB First Sergeants Council to bring Thanksgiving gifts to Airmen in need Nov. 7. Each family received a bag of non-perishable food items and a gift card to the Commissary to purchase perishable items, like a turkey or ham, for their Thanksgiving feast.

The food items were distributed at the Base Theater, along with entertainment for post Thanksgiving dinner, in the form of a DVD and board game.

According to Master Sgt. Eric Jackson, 412th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, the First Sergeants Council identified approximately 238 families that would benefit from the assistance during the holiday season.

"They are giving a family Thanksgiving," said Jackson. "Being in the military doesn't mean we necessarily have the financial means to have a Thanksgiving. This will definitely help spread that holiday joy and bring smiles to some faces."

Operation Homefront, based in San Diego, provides emergency financial assistance to military families in need. The Thanksgiving event was one of a series of morale events Operation Homefront hosts throughout the year.

"It's just a small way of saying thank you," said Breanna Anderson, program manager for Operation Homefront. "Honestly, there's really nothing we can do that would be enough to give back to them, so these are just small ways we can do that. By partnering with organizations like Lockheed [Martin], we're able to do that in a much bigger sense and without them we wouldn't have been able to do this today."

According to Anderson, around 23 Lockheed Martin employees aided in assembling the packages, distributing them and the clean-up after.

"As retired Air Force, it's an honor to give back to my Air Force family," said Jack Danielson, program planner at Lockheed Martin.

Terri Garcia, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Community Relations lead added, "We're here to support our military because it's the right thing to do. Our volunteers enjoy doing this every year and telling our military families thank you for what they do."

"It's nice to see that there are civilians in our community that do care about our military family. We're really thankful for that," said Jackson. "Service Before Self is one of our core values and that is being exemplified here."