"Pizzas 4 Patriots"

November 11, 4:58 PMMinneapolis Italian Restaurants ExaminerLeah Steig

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Pizza Marketplace: November 10, 2009

Veterans in five U.S. cities will be getting a hot and cheesy care package this Veteran's Day, courtesy of America's dairy farmers in partnership with Pizzas 4 Patriots, a non-profit organization that aims to deliver "a slice of home" to U.S. service men and women both domestically and abroad.

The patients of Veterans Administration hospitals in Washington, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio and Green Bay, Wis., will receive a visit from local dairy farmers on Veteran's Day, along with a delivery of pizza and milk.

"Dairy farmers have a long-standing tradition of supporting our local communities, so we are pleased and honored to join the nation in celebrating the service and sacrifice of America's veterans," said Ken Miller, a Sulphur Springs, Texas-based dairy producer and U.S. veteran who will be among those serving milk and some 800 slices of Domino's pizza to veterans at the Dallas VA Medical Center. "We are proud to show admiration and appreciation for veterans in a way that is closely connected to what we do as dairy farmers -- producing great milk and milk products."

The idea for Pizzas 4 Patriots was sparked in the summer of 2008, when 15-year-old Kent Evans of Elk Grove Village, Ill., asked his father, retired Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Evans, if they could send pizzas to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq. His wish became a reality when service men and women at Camp Victory in Baghdad enjoyed a Fourth of July pizza party that brought back fond memories of home and made the troops feel remembered and appreciated.

Pizzas 4 Patriots is now in its second year of showing support for the troops. "Support from others, such as America's dairy farmers, allows us to achieve our mission," Evans said. "We're able to make a positive difference in the lives of our service men and women -- those presently serving as well as our wounded veterans."