MIAMI, July 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise
Line, which carries more active and retired military personnel than
any other cruise operator, joined forces with Operation Homefront
today to extend the July
4th holiday and thank men and women in uniform by
hosting the world's first "social media powered barbecue" for
military troops at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in
San Diego.
The unique summertime feast featured burgers whose buns were
lasered with heartfelt messages of thanks to service members using
a one-of-a-kind culinary laser printer.
Using the hashtag #ThankYouBurger, Americans were encouraged to
show their appreciation of the U.S. military by tweeting and
posting messages of gratitude via Twitter, Instagram and
Facebook. More than 15,000 thank you messages were
transmitted in real time to a tech-enabled grill at the base in
San Diego, and then laser printed
onto burger buns and served to military troops during a backyard
barbecue themed event.
In recognition of the thousands of #ThankYouBurger tweets and
posts received, Carnival donated $25,000 to help the organization fulfill its
mission of building strong, stable and secure military
families.
Deshauna Barber -- godmother to
Carnival Vista and the first woman serving in the military to be
named Miss USA -- joined Carnival Chief Maritime Officer
William Burke and Operation
Homefront president and CEO Brig. Gen. (ret) John I. Pray Jr. to personally serve
nearly 2,000 burgers to military personnel.
"We wanted to create a platform for Americans looking to connect
with the military and show our gratitude for their service during
the July 4th holiday,"
said Burke. "We all want the troops to know how grateful we
–and our country – are for protecting our freedom and this unique
social media-powered barbecue is a fantastic way to show our
appreciation."
"As an American who serves in the military, I really appreciate
that Carnival Cruise Line looks for meaningful ways to serve us and
I'm honored to be a part of this fun event," said Barber.
"Thanks to the continuing commitment of amazing partners like
Carnival Cruise Line, Operation Homefront is able to meet the
critical needs of America's military families," added Pray.
"Since 2011, we have fulfilled over 35,000 requests for financial
assistance. I'm especially thankful to those on social media
who helped make this $25,000 donation
from Carnival Cruise Line possible as we will be able to deliver
even more goodness to those that have done so much for all of us –
our nation's military families."
This special event is part of a continuing partnership between
Carnival and Operation Homefront. Last year, hundreds of military
families were welcomed aboard the company's newest ship, Carnival
Vista, prior to its inaugural sailing from the U.S. The
festivities, were the culmination of a year-long campaign called
Honor.Family.Fun which helped raise funds and awareness for
Operation Homefront and its cause.
To learn more about Carnival Cruise Line, visit Carnival.com.
For reservations, contact any travel agent or call
1-800-CARNIVAL.
Carnival can also be found on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and
YouTube. Journalists also can visit Carnival's media site,
carnival-news.com or follow the line's PR department on Twitter at
twitter.com/CarnivalPR.
About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line, part
of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is
"The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 25 ships operating
three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, Cuba,
Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Two
133,500-ton Vista class ships are currently scheduled for delivery
- Carnival Horizon in 2018 and an as-yet-unnamed vessel in 2019.
Additionally, two new 180,000-ton ships are scheduled to enter
service in 2020 and 2022.
About Operation Homefront
Founded in 2002, Operation
Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to
build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can
thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they
have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance
by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of
Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that
support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation
Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and
permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term
needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the
generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of
volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America's military
families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.
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SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line