rvrmom
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So about 3 years ago Dad starting doing this. I can't tell you how much fun we have with these 'kids'! It's awesome!
I will post pics later
God Bless our troops!
CAMP PENDLETON -- More than 800 young Marines will spend Thanksgiving today with more than 275 families throughout San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties. Every year, the Armed Services YMCA at Camp Pendleton asks for volunteer families to sponsor a Marine for Thanksgiving dinner as part of its Home Hospitality Program. This year, lots of families said they wanted to feed up to a dozen Marines in their homes for the 28th annual Home Hospitality Program, leaving at least 35 families on a waiting list for next year's program, said Dawn Baker, event coordinator.
"I have been inundated with families trying to take part this year," she said. "And we had a lower number of Marines this year. We had about 950 last year."
The Marines participating in the Thanksgiving Day event are recent boot camp graduates who are now stationed at Camp Pendleton attending the School of Infantry. Most of them are young, between 18 and 20 years old.
While most of the families signing up are former military, Baker has seen an overwhelming response from those not having much to do with the military.
"I honestly have to say that I have never seen a community just step forward and support the military base and those in the military," she said.
The Dumas family of Escondido will participate for the first time this year.
"It's not so much the current events that makes us want to do this, it's more that we have the ability to do it and we really believe in supporting those in the service," said Christine Dumas, who, along with her husband, will be cooking for their family of five plus three Marines.
"They're young and they don't have any place to go," she said. "Who wants to be alone on Thanksgiving?"
Carlsbad residents Mary-Alice Isenhart and her husband retired Brig. Gen. David Brahms invite Marines in for Thanksgiving every year.
"We just do it because my husband is a retired Marine and he has great respect for the young people who are doing all this now," Isenhart said.
Both families will be among the line of cars heading to Camp Pendleton Thursday morning to pick up Marines.
Families who wanted to participate but were put on a waiting list found other ways to support the armed forces, Baker said. The YMCA only planned on organizing the Home Hospitality Program, but Baker said she's also busy organizing a sort of impromptu food drive.
"We've had people come in off the street and hand over food cards for military families," she said. "Somebody bought 80 turkeys for families on base. That was not even something that we wanted to do but it just took a life of its own."
I will post pics later
God Bless our troops!
CAMP PENDLETON -- More than 800 young Marines will spend Thanksgiving today with more than 275 families throughout San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties. Every year, the Armed Services YMCA at Camp Pendleton asks for volunteer families to sponsor a Marine for Thanksgiving dinner as part of its Home Hospitality Program. This year, lots of families said they wanted to feed up to a dozen Marines in their homes for the 28th annual Home Hospitality Program, leaving at least 35 families on a waiting list for next year's program, said Dawn Baker, event coordinator.
"I have been inundated with families trying to take part this year," she said. "And we had a lower number of Marines this year. We had about 950 last year."
The Marines participating in the Thanksgiving Day event are recent boot camp graduates who are now stationed at Camp Pendleton attending the School of Infantry. Most of them are young, between 18 and 20 years old.
While most of the families signing up are former military, Baker has seen an overwhelming response from those not having much to do with the military.
"I honestly have to say that I have never seen a community just step forward and support the military base and those in the military," she said.
The Dumas family of Escondido will participate for the first time this year.
"It's not so much the current events that makes us want to do this, it's more that we have the ability to do it and we really believe in supporting those in the service," said Christine Dumas, who, along with her husband, will be cooking for their family of five plus three Marines.
"They're young and they don't have any place to go," she said. "Who wants to be alone on Thanksgiving?"
Carlsbad residents Mary-Alice Isenhart and her husband retired Brig. Gen. David Brahms invite Marines in for Thanksgiving every year.
"We just do it because my husband is a retired Marine and he has great respect for the young people who are doing all this now," Isenhart said.
Both families will be among the line of cars heading to Camp Pendleton Thursday morning to pick up Marines.
Families who wanted to participate but were put on a waiting list found other ways to support the armed forces, Baker said. The YMCA only planned on organizing the Home Hospitality Program, but Baker said she's also busy organizing a sort of impromptu food drive.
"We've had people come in off the street and hand over food cards for military families," she said. "Somebody bought 80 turkeys for families on base. That was not even something that we wanted to do but it just took a life of its own."
. His wifes stories were way better. 
