Family and friends of deployed Airmen from the 133rd Airlift Wing enjoyed a steak dinner with their loved ones, currently serving overseas, hosted by Serving Our Troops.
Serving Our Troops is a nonprofit organization that started with a simple idea: having a family meal together. Since 2004, the organization has served more than 145,000 meals.
Emma Kelly Saunders, a volunteer coordinator for Serving Our Troops, shares that the organization started in 2004, when a group of St. Paul business owners and community members looked for ways to support troops and their families. The group came up with the concept of sharing a meal while connecting the families with deployed loved ones through live video chats.
The event was well received by the Airmen’s family and friends. The program started with the posting of the colors by cadets from St. Thomas Academy and the singing of the national anthem by a volunteer. The event was attended by St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Rep. Betty McCollum.
“We were excited to hear about this meal,” said Monica, the mother of a deployed Airman. “We've had some contact with Jesse while he's gone, but having this formal event was a nice touch. I love when they were speaking about having a meal with your [Airman] as a family.”
What made the event meaningful was the one-on-one FaceTime or phone calls the Airmen had with their families during the meal.
“We actually stepped out because it was noisy to have a better conversation,” said Monica. “He sent us a picture of his steak dinner and said, ‘by far the best meal he's had so far.’ He told me specifically about the two ice-cold beers he gets to drink. We sent him a picture of our meal, the patriotic flags on the table, and the buffet line. It truly turned into a family meal, even though we're having breakfast and he's having dinner. There was still that camaraderie.”
Even though the Airmen and their families were in different time zones, they were able to share a meal and a conversation with each other.
“It's really awesome, as a civilian, to get to be here, help support the people and hopefully make at least one day a little bit easier for the families who are here,” said Kelly Saunders. “It's just so cool getting to see that connection and help bridge those gaps that were a lot harder to bridge 20 years ago.”