Related links
SAN DIEGO -
Folks at the Downtown USO are seeing more and more new faces these days at the weekly Tuesday night free dinners. They said attendance is up about 20 percent, and they believe the economy is the major factor.
"In this economy, it's hard to turn up a free meal and especially a home cooked meal at that," said Sara Bagano who is the Downtown Center Director.
USO members said this Tuesday was one of their biggest crowds ever with over 300 people eating. They believe the numbers will only grow as it gets closer to the holidays.
"The closer you get to the holidays, the tighter money is for families the larger the numbers," said interim President and CEO Chris Buscher. "Being able to eat here, they obviously can save money. That helps with bills."
That is certainly the case for the Loop family of four. They say they've been coming to Tuesday night free dinners for nearly three months now.
"It's great savings cause it would be like 40 or 50 bucks for us to go and eat outside," said Michael Loop.
Yumiko Loop is a full time mom and says the dinners offer a great chance to get out of the house and socialize with friends. She says she has noticed the extra company lately.
"We have to kind of make sure we get here early to get the parking outside," she said. "So yeah, I do see a lot of increase."
Active duty service members and their families eat for free after showing a military ID. The USO says it receives no government funding. It relies on the generosity of individuals, businesses and volunteers to keep the program going.
"In this economy, it's hard to turn up a free meal and especially a home cooked meal at that," said Sara Bagano who is the Downtown Center Director.
USO members said this Tuesday was one of their biggest crowds ever with over 300 people eating. They believe the numbers will only grow as it gets closer to the holidays.
"The closer you get to the holidays, the tighter money is for families the larger the numbers," said interim President and CEO Chris Buscher. "Being able to eat here, they obviously can save money. That helps with bills."
That is certainly the case for the Loop family of four. They say they've been coming to Tuesday night free dinners for nearly three months now.
"It's great savings cause it would be like 40 or 50 bucks for us to go and eat outside," said Michael Loop.
Yumiko Loop is a full time mom and says the dinners offer a great chance to get out of the house and socialize with friends. She says she has noticed the extra company lately.
"We have to kind of make sure we get here early to get the parking outside," she said. "So yeah, I do see a lot of increase."
Active duty service members and their families eat for free after showing a military ID. The USO says it receives no government funding. It relies on the generosity of individuals, businesses and volunteers to keep the program going.
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
StumbleUpon
