It’s happening today — and it’s free. The University of Toledo is hosting its 22nd annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair this morning, Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 8 to 11 a.m. at Savage Arena, and every current and former military member — plus their families — is invited. Bring the family, bring a neighbor who served, and come hungry.

Organized by the American Red Cross, The University of Toledo and the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission, the morning pairs a free breakfast with more than 35 military-focused community resources on site, so veterans can connect with the help and services available to them right here in northwest Ohio.

There’s plenty to see and hear, too. Historical displays will feature items from the Marine Corps Reserve Company and uniforms from the Northcoast Veterans Museum, and — in a nod to America’s 250th anniversary — the Fort Meigs Historical Fife & Drum Corps will present the colors in replica uniforms. Fourth-grade students from Waterville Primary School will provide musical entertainment, members of the Toledo Opera will perform the National Anthem, and local DJ Jeff Mentel will keep the background music going. Members of the Rossford High School S.O.S. (Serving Our Soldiers) Club will greet guests and help veterans through the breakfast line.

Longtime local television personality Dan Cummins will serve as master of ceremonies, with guest speaker Jeremiah Workman, an Ohio native and decorated Marine Corps veteran.

“This event is all about honoring our local heroes,” Peggy Holewinski of the American Red Cross, Western Lake Erie, told UToledo News. “We are grateful for the involvement of students from the area schools to help us in this effort.”

Parking permits are not required and will not be enforced this morning, so just head to Savage Arena.

If breakfast isn’t the only freebie on your list today, restaurants across Toledo are also offering free meals to veterans for Veterans Day — we’ve rounded them all up in our guide, Veterans Day Tomorrow: Where Toledo Veterans Eat Free.

For more information on the breakfast, contact UToledo’s Military Service Center at 419-530-1392 or msc@utoledo.edu.

U.S. Army photo — Veterans Day ceremony at Corozal American Cemetery (public domain). File photo.

Source: UToledo News