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Maybe more than ever before, the annual Veterans Food Drive is proving to former servicemembers just how much people care. Archie Callahan, a veteran of three Middle East deployments, told the Chicago Tribune that the generosity shown him and his family by the food drive "feels like a great big hug."

Callahan, and each of the other 1,200 veterans who showed up at the Bridgeview Sports Dome on Saturday, was given a 20-pound turkey and seven bags of food that, when arranged in the correct order, spelled out "thanks." More than 250 volunteers were at work organizing thousands of boxes of food for the big day. Veterans only had to show their current military ID or discharge papers in addition to some proof of their Illinois residency.

The food drive was so popular that some veterans faced long lines. Mary Jarvis Anderson, an Army veteran who served in Fallujah, Iraq, told the Tribune that she and her father, a World War II veteran, were happy to spend more than an hour in traffic outside the sports facility because the care packages were worth the wait.

"I was unemployed but I just started a new job and this is so going to really help," said Anderson. "This is beyond nice that they are doing this. It means so much that people think of us and want to help."

Last year the food drive fed 800 people. An advance online registration targeted a higher goal of 1,000 for this year, but so many donations came in from around the state that walk-in veterans were able to receive bags of food as well.

Similar Thanksgiving food drives are happening all around the country. In Jacksonville, Florida, where about 1 in 6 people does not reliably have access to food, the Clara White Mission announced a huge food drive specifically for veterans. With the holiday season approaching, charitable donations are more frequent and veterans will find many organizations supporting them.