All over town veterans are getting to eat for free at some of their favorite restaurants for Veteran’s Day but a free meal isn’t enough for some restaurants.
Bubba’s 33 in Killeen want to do more than just feed veterans on Veteran’s Day, that’s why they reached out to Operation Phantom Support.
”We’re very fortunate that they were excepting of coming out here today and partnering with us and marketing the great things that they do,” said Philip Severson, owner of Bubba’s 33 in Killeen.
Operation Phantom Support, or OPS, is a Killeen based non-profit dedicated to helping first responders, active duty military, veterans, and their families.
”We provide programs that allow soldiers to save money throughout the month so that life’s a little easier on them. That’s what we do.” said John Valentine, CEO, and founder of Operation Phantom Support.
OPS has programs like their food pantry that feeds between 3,500 and 4,500 people a month but, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
”We have a free birthday cake program, Christmas toy program, backpack program for school, a car repair program, a tire replacement program, and an adult special needs program to help families out in all those different areas,” said Valentine.
Along with their programs, they also have a thrift store and assist veterans in finding new jobs and anything else they might need.
That’s why they were excited when Bubba’s reached out to them for a partnership on Veteran’s Day.
”It is the best feeling you can get when you’re working as a non-profit, reaches out to you directly and you didn‘t have to reach out to them. It’s huge because it shows their want to be involved, they want to do something for this community," said Valentine.
Seeing all the hard work OPS does for the community is why a portion of the proceeds from the event are going directly to OPS.
"We’re giving a portion of our gift card sails today, directly back to them. Our staff inside is promoting “Buy A Gift Card For A Veteran” that we’re immediately giving all that value back to the foundation,” said Severson.
