Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Merritt | Panama City, FL (July 19, 2022) Veterans and First Responders Appreciation Lunch was...... read more read more
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – Local businesses in Bay County joined together recently to show their appreciation to the men and women who served or are currently serving our community and country. The quarterly Veterans & First Responders appreciation lunch was held at Texas Roadhouse in Panama City Beach on Tuesday July 19, 2022 and was brought together by a local veteran that wanted to give back to his community.
U.S. Army veteran and owner of A-Superior Air Conditioning Company, Jimy Thorpe and his wife, Marta, along with Jimy’s brother, James Thorpe, co-organized this event in 2015 as a way to give back to local first responders and veterans. “We love our military veterans and our first responders,” said Jimy Thorpe. “We just appreciate what the men and women of our community do to help support us and to help give us our way of life that we share every day.”
The Thorpe’s partnered with Texas Roadhouse Owner Paul Schreiner to create an event which brings together community partners, veterans, and first responders for a great meal, and also helps educate them on programs that are available in the community. Sadly Mr. Schreiner passed away two weeks before this event. Those in attendance spent time remembering and paying respect to Mr. Schreiner for all he did to give back to his community. “The loss is tough,” said Thorpe but Schreiner would have wanted the luncheons to continue.
In attendance and giving the benediction for this special day was Naval Support Activity Panama City Command Chaplain, Lt. Eric Mitchell. “One measure of a healthy community is the extent to which it values its veterans and first responders, and finds ways to support them” said Lt. Mitchell. “I felt honored to participate in this community’s celebration of veterans and first responders. The outpouring of love and support was inspiring to say the least, and not something that I will soon forget.”
The next luncheons will be October 4th at the First Baptist Church in downtown Panama City, October 11th at Faith Assembly Christian Church in Walton County, and October 18th it will return to Texas Roadhouse in Panama City Beach.
| Date Taken: | 07.29.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.29.2022 11:39 |
| Story ID: | 426101 |
| Location: | PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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