Meijer has long supported initiatives to honor our nation’s heroes. One way we honor that commitment is the important role our Outbound Logistics Team plays in supporting National Wreaths Across America Day.
This year, Meijer trucks delivered more than 2,600 wreaths to about a half-dozen veterans cemeteries, including Fort Custer National Cemetery in Battle Creek, Mich., and the Ohio Veterans Home Cemetery in Sandusky. Additionally, a full truckload went to the Toledo Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Sylvania, Ohio. The wreaths were then be placed on the gravesites of veterans on Dec. 17 for National Wreaths Across America Day.
“We work with the cemeteries or the VFW halls to make the delivery the week prior, so they can do wreath laying on that Saturday,” said Dave Hoover, Director of Outbound Logistics at Meijer.
This year, our team doubled our usual support by providing two trucks. We also introduced a brand-new technology to our annual support of the program by delivering some of the wreaths in fully electric semi-tractors.
This year, volunteers will place more than 1.8 million wreaths on the headstones of our nation’s veterans. Meijer truck drivers, some of whom are veterans themselves, volunteered to transport thousands of live balsam wreaths to locations in Michigan and Ohio. Several Meijer team members also participated by placing the wreaths on veterans’ gravesites.
Each wreath is a gift of respect and appreciation, donated by a private citizen or organization and placed on the graves by volunteers as a gesture of gratitude for the freedoms Americans enjoy.
For centuries, fresh evergreens have been a symbol of honor and served as living tributes renewed annually. Wreaths Across America believes the tradition represents a living memorial that honors veterans, active-duty military members, and their families. Volunteers were asked to say the name of the veteran out loud when placing a wreath to ensure their memory lives on.
In May and June, Meijer also sponsored the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit’s national tour in Michigan. The exhibit is a mobile museum, educating visitors about the service and sacrifice of the nation’s heroes, as well as serving as an official “welcome home” station for veterans.