Blue Star Families hopes to ease burden on military families over the holidays

TAMPA, Fla. - Volunteers and staff with the Tampa chapter of the nonprofit Blue Star Families will give out 300 holiday meals on Wednesday morning during their Nourish the Service holiday giveaway. 

Setup began before sunrise inside hangar three at MacDill Air Force Base, with piles of toys and books to go under trees. 

Eligible families were registered online, selecting their time slots for pickup. The giveaway will feature $25,000 in door prizes as well. 

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"This event is to target food insecurity as well as taking some of the financial pressures off of our young, enlisted families," explained Suzy Malloy, director of Blue Star Families' Tampa Chapter.

Children were able to select three toys to take home from the event. 

The nonprofit was founded in 2009 by military spouses with enlisted families in mind. 

"We empower military families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors - both people and organizations - to create strong communities of support," the group stated on its website.