At least 200 San Diego area military families will be receiving all the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal thanks to a non-profit organization that seeks to help enlisted and veteran families who may be going through financial hardship.
Support the Enlisted Project (STEP) said thanks to community support, they are able to give hundreds of military families two bags filled with groceries and a $25 gift card to purchase their own turkey. The food will be distributed to registered families on Saturday.
STEP's Thanksgiving dinner program is in its fifth year and without it, according to Tony Teravainen, CEO and Co-Founder, many of the families wouldn't be able to afford a Thanksgiving of their own.
“These families are away from home, struggling each month to meet their financial obligations, and this allows them to redirect what they would have spent on dinner into reducing their debt or increasing their savings account," Teravainen said.
STEP's goal is to help young enlisted servicemembers find self-sustaining financial stability and to aid recently discharged veterans who may be facing financial crisis. The organization has served thousands of families with emergency financial assistance since its inception in 2012.
This year, the organization received San Diego County's Veteran nonprofit of the year award.
