All Around Pennsauken

By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor

Heather and Rich Cornforth’s son, Chris, joined the United States Air Force in June, right after graduating high school. And while the Pennsauken residents are fortunate that their son will be home for the holidays, others aren’t so lucky. So on Christmas Day, Heather, Rich, and an army of volunteers are planning on serving 100 military personnel from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst at a local hall in town. They’re calling it, “Operation Christmas Dinner.”

“When I contacted Fort Dix to let them know we could help 100 service members as a host family, they called me back to make sure I wasn’t kidding,” explains Heather. “These men and women don’t have family in the area and can’t go home. We see such a need. We’re lucky; others aren’t.

“I come from a military family; I’ve heard the stories. It’s pretty big not being home for the holidays. If we can help in any way, we will. I would hope that someone would do that for my child.”

As part of Operation Christmas Dinner, the Cornforths are treating these men and women – all from different branches of the military – to a family-style dinner on Dec. 25. Instead of hitting the mess hall line, volunteers will serve military personnel a holiday dinner with all the fixings, courtesy of Legacy Catering & Events, who is only charging cost for the food. They’ll also be able to take home a package of homemade cookies, made by volunteers.

For entertainment, there will be big screen TVs, as well as video game consoles. Santa will also stop by and make an appearance.

“We’re trying to just bring them some fun; to get them off base and not be so formal,” says Heather. We want them to feel that they can kick their shoes off and relax.”

And as service members living in barracks can’t have pets, several dogs will be on hand to provide some furry companionship.

“We’ll have a couple of really great dogs there, so they can play and get licks,” adds Heather. “We’re looking to create a homey kind of feel. That’s kind of the goal here.”

While the Cornforths have plenty of volunteers, they are reaching out to the community to help with funding the dinner. The money raised will help pay for the food, as well as potentially small gifts for the servicemen and women. Any funds left over, or if the event is cancelled due to an unforeseen issue, like the base going on lockdown, will go to sending care packages to troops deployed overseas. Heather and Rich have set up a GoFundMe page, “Operation Christmas Dinner.” Prior to publication, they had already raised over $2,000.

“You always want someone to be there for your children when you can’t,” says Heather, who hopes to make Operation Christmas Dinner an annual event. “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. – Cynthia Ozick.”