Chicopee residents honor vets at Christmas

Date: 1/2/2015

CHICOPEE – Robert Prince is expecting to make “Operation Christmas Vittles” an annual event.

On Dec. 23, the Moose Family Center in Chicopee – of which Prince is a member – cooked and transported meals for 150 people – veterans and staff – at Soldier On in Leeds.

Prince, who is an Army veteran, came up with the idea.

“I was tired of people who were saying ‘Thank you for your service.’ I wanted to take it to the next level. I took it to the next level and was more than happy to do so,” he told Reminder Publications.

The Moose Family Center underwrote the cost of the food and members volunteered to cook a traditional Christmas meal of roast turkey and the trimmings, Prince said.

Prince said many of the veterans in the Solider On program – which provides shelter and services to homeless vets – are “in rough shape.”

He added, “Life’s been difficult for them.”

The meal’s reception was worth the effort though as Prince said, the vets “had a big smile because they knew people cared.”

He added, “They really enjoyed it.”

Prince served in the 82nd Airborne and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse for years. He said the holiday season could be heartbreaking.

Something as simple as receiving a present  “helps you hold on: it makes a huge difference in your life and recovery,” Prince explained.

Prince recently opened Storm Ready, an emergency preparedness store at 1512 Memorial Ave.