Life can be difficult for military families, particularly around the holidays, a fact not lost on one compassionate businessman in Pflugerville, Texas. Several years ago, Tom Ramsey, owner of Snappy Snacks Mobile Catering, decided to organize some help. And this year, the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation saw an opportunity to get involved, staying in line with its commitment to provide assistance to families of military personnel.
In 2003, Ramsey began a charitable organization called Celebration of Love to supply food and resources to Texas families in crisis. Last week, one of its programs, Soldiers of America, hosted its annual holiday event for more than 1,800 military families at Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas.
“It’s one of the most important programs at Fort Hood,” Ramsey says. “When they move all the helicopters out of a 50,000-square-foot hangar for us, that’s saying a lot.”
During the event, Celebration of Love donated toys to kids, as well as complete Christmas dinners, including frozen turkeys, for each family in attendance. But this year presented a challenge, as the event encountered a shortfall in funds. Clint Smith, a board member of Celebration of Love, reached out to the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation to see if it might get involved. One of the Foundation’s three areas of focus is military families, along with special needs youth and junior golf, so the Foundation stepped forward to help ensure the event’s success.
Photos From a Celebration of Love
Celebration of Love began as a result of Ramsey’s catering company doing business at Fort Hood’s motor pools. Ramsey had food trucks there, and one day he received a call from one of his employees. “He said, ‘I can’t charge these soldiers. Some of them have no arms or legs,’” Ramsey recalls. Ramsey readily agreed not to charge them and decided to do more. “That’s how it started,” Ramsey says.
When the program began its service to provide meals and more to families during the holiday season, it reached 500 families. Now it helps 5,400 families each year, Ramsey says. It employs all-volunteer help, and it has no overhead, so every dollar it brings in goes straight to the programs. “We all do it as a labor of love,” Ramsey says.
“We’re very blessed and thankful that the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation stepped up and did what they did,” Ramsey says. “We’re very grateful on behalf of the families at Fort Hood. We’re looking forward to a long relationship with the Foundation. They are a wonderful partner.”