Honor Flight of Northeastern Indiana honored a local restaurant for its contributions to the organization.
Culver’s was honored Wednesday for reaching almost $50,000 in donations. Honor Flight is an organization dedicated to flying veterans to Washington to see the war memorials.
Twice a year, the five Culver’s stores in Indiana hold a fundraiser. Ten percent of money taken at all restaurants goes to the non-profit. Culver’s matches the amount for a total of 20 percent of profits to be donated. The events are usually held in June and October.
Bob Meyer, ambassador for Honor Flight, delivered a plaque honoring the Warsaw location’s efforts. The plaque was presented to Nick Knouff, Warsaw manager, and Matt Lennington, owner. The plaque features a photo of veterans in Washington.
“I can’t think of a better organization to partner up with,” Lennington said. He stated he was proud to support the veterans who sacrificed so much for their country.
Northeast Indiana Honor Flight has flown almost 1,500 veterans to Washington out of Fort Wayne, 1,350 of which were veterans of World War II, said Meyer.
Honor Flight started with a focus on WWII veterans due to their advancing age. The organization is now taking people who served in the Korean War.
The group takes a charter flight out of Fort Wayne for a one-day trip to Washington. There, the veterans, along with their guardians, tour the war memorials and other military sites such as Arlington National Cemetery.
Meyer said they take about 85 veterans on each flight. Each veteran usually travels with a guardian. The trip is provided at no charge to veterans.
The next flight is scheduled for April.
