Alongside Food Lion, Frito Lay, Forward, Armed Services YMCA and the Gary Sinise Foundation, “Hope For The Warriors” spent Thursday distributing nearly 4,000 food boxes to Fort Campbell families.
Founded in 2006, the organization spends its time assisting veterans, active service members and military families with targeted programming built to provide emotional, financial, career and educational stability.
These boxes were filled with non-perishable food items, grocery gift cards and other boxable items like books and stuffed teddy bears.
Two notable individuals were on hand for the distribution: former Major League Baseball player and World Series champion Doug Flynn, as well as Bravo reality star Craig Conover.
A Lexington native and graduate of Somerset Community College and the University of Kentucky, Flynn played from 1975 until 1985. Earning a Gold Glove with the Mets in 1980, he’s best known as one of the four pieces of the trade termed “The Midnight Massacre,” in which the Cincinnati Reds dealt with New York for Hall of Fame hurler Tom Seaver. Flynn would finish his career having also played for the Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos and Detroit Tigers.
Conover, meanwhile, is an attorney, entrepreneur and social media influencer who has a role on television’s “Southern Charm.” He is the C.E.O. and founder of Apex Principles Inc., and also owns Sewing Down South — where he sells pillows.
Robin Kelleher, co-founder and president/CEO of “Hope For The Warriors,” noted it’s the third-straight year for the organization’s presence in Fort Campbell, and that the holidays can be “hard for a lot of military families, as loved ones are deployed and/or families are living far away from their hometowns.”
Kelleher added that Clarksville’s recent experience with tornadic activity only magnified needs and immediate concerns through the holiday.
For more information on Hope For The Warriors, visit hopeforthewarriors.org, Facebook, X or Instagram.