FORT RILEY, Kan. -- More than 500 people stood in line outside Fire station 5 on Trooper Drive May 25. They were waiting to celebrate USO Fort Riley's birthday with a traditional No Dough Dinner -- hamburgers and hotdogs.
"This event marked six years since our Fort Riley volunteer organization began lifting the spirits and connecting our service members to family, home and country," said Jill Iwen, director of USO Fort Riley.
The organization and its volunteers host these dinners regularly. The event began as a way to feed military families on the week between pay periods. This dinner was special to USO Fort Riley volunteers because Dick Young, Briggs Auto military affairs, and Joe Bowers, general manager of the Manhattan,
Kansas Briggs Auto location, presented Iwen and Crystal Tinkey, program manager of USO Fort Riley, with a van.
Tinkey said the vehicle is a huge blessing for the duo at the USO.
"From towing grills, food and other supplies to No Dough Dinners, delivering cookies around the installation, visiting our troops in the field or at the gates to boost morale by delivering ice cream on a hot day or cocoa in the bitter cold winter, serving our Airmen in Wichita, or delivering deployment resources to our Guardsmen and women and Reservists, to having the ability to support our service members anywhere in the state allows us to truly fulfill the USO Mission," Tinkey said.
Iwen said the only way the USO Fort Riley is able to continue their mission is through their volunteers and donors like Briggs Auto.
"This is the second van that Briggsauto.com has donated to the USO Fort Riley to assist us in delivering our mission," Iwen said. "Having the ability to provide the goodness of the USO would be greatly hampered without the addition of these vehicles as they allow us to safely travel the state in support of our service and family members."
Rachel Ledoux, wife of Sgt. Andrew Ledoux, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, came to enjoy the meal. She and her three children rode their bikes to the fire station from the Colyer Forsyth neighborhood.
"It's always good food," Ledoux said. "The kids enjoy the music and we get to bike ride to it. We like how they are close to the neighborhoods."
One of her children, Annie, was turning 5-years-old on the same day.
"It was the USO's sixth birthday and her fifth," Ledoux said. "She saw the cake and said 'they got me cake.'"
Since USO Fort Riley opened its doors six years ago, more than half a million Fort Riley, McConnell Air Force Base and Fort Leavenworth troops and their families have been served.
"From hosting events out of the trunk of our director's car before the Center was open to serving over 1,200 attendees at our Victory Week No Dough Dinner the USO Fort Riley has been proud to be the representation of our grateful nation in the State of Kansas," Iwen said. "Each year we are fortunate to team with our amazing community partners and selfless volunteers to add to our mission of comforting, connecting and caring for our troops."
The USO's next No Dough Dinner will begin at 5 p.m. June 7 at Moon Lake to celebrate Victory Week. The menu includes ribs, hot dogs, deli salads, beans, fresh fruit and vegetable trays, watermelon and cookies. The event is free and open to all service members and their families.
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