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veterans gathered at a table

 

Veterans are in for a tasty tribute again this Veterans Day, courtesy of Festival Foods and 11 of its vendor partners. Veterans who stop by any Festival Foods location on Friday, November 11, can pick up 12 free products, while supplies last, with a $20 minimum purchase.

Festival Foods’ free-product salute to veterans is in its fifth year, with items ranging from pizza and sliced ham to coffee and energy drinks.

Mark Skogen, president and CEO of Festival Foods, said the company is honored to support veterans – not only with the free items on Veterans Day, but also by sponsoring regular Heroes Cafes gatherings in multiple locations and designated parking spaces for veterans.

“It’s truly an honor to recognize our veterans on Veterans Day and every day of the year as a way to thank them for all they have sacrificed,” Skogen said.

In 2018, Travis Tiedt of the Festival Foods buying team came up with the idea to support veterans with free products, and the retailer’s leaders quickly approved it.

“We were aware that many of our vendors are committed to supporting their communities – and veterans in particular – just like we are,” Tiedt said. “So we asked Brew Pub, a local pizza vendor, if they’d be part of a Veterans Day promotion. They agreed, and before long, we had nine free products to offer veterans on Veterans Day 2018.”

Tiedt added that his goal that first year was to offer ‘more than a meal’ to veterans.

“It ended up being more than most people can eat in one sitting,” he said, laughing.

Retail value of the nine free items in 2018 was over $100,000. The number of free items increased to 12 in 2020, and the popularity of the Veterans Day promotion continued to grow. On Veterans Day 2021, veterans received free products with a retail value of $525,000.

This Veterans Day, Festival Foods is pleased to partner with the following vendors, who assisted with the promotion:

  • Brew Pub Pizza
  • Pepsi-Cola North America
  • Cameron’s Coffee
  • Perfect Hydration
  • Cellucor Inc.
  • Old Dutch Foods, Inc.
  • Keurig Dr Pepper
  • Smithfield Foods, Inc.
  • McCain Foods USA, Inc.
  • Utz Quality Foods
  • Pan O Gold Baking Co.

To learn more about Skogen’s Festival Foods and its commitment to community involvement, please visit festfoods.com/about/community-involvement.