Ace Hardware to honor fallen heroes with 1 million American flags
Ace Hardware is collaborating with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) once again this year to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country by giving away 1 million American flags nationwide on Saturday, May 27.
“Ace is proud to be a part of this nationwide effort to distribute flags to our customers and to the VFW to help honor our fallen heroes on Memorial Day,” said Kim Lefko, chief marketing officer, Ace Hardware.
The hardware chain said that consumers who visit a participating Ace store on May 27 will receive a free 8-inch by 12-inch American flag. A second flag will be donated to a local VFW Post to be used for marking and honoring veterans’ graves this Memorial Day.
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“Memorial Day reminds us of the true cost of freedom, and while we as a nation mourn the loss of our brave and patriotic heroes, we vow to never forget their sacrifice and remain forever grateful to them,” said Tim Borland, national commander at VFW.
Last year, more than 500,000 American flags were given away to customers at Ace stores nationwide. In addition, Ace sent 595,000 flags to more than 1,800 VFW Posts for placement on veterans’ graves.
“We are honored to participate in the million flag give away with Ace not only for our fallen veterans but for all those who are and have served our country,” said Mike Kokesh, co-owner of Gopher Ace in Minnesota.
Gopher Ace said it will hand out free flags at both of their locations this year on May 27th until supplies last. They also donated flags to the Andrew F. Kokesh VFW post #1816 in Garrison, Minnesota. The post was the first VFW named after a veteran in the State of Minnesota, whose grandfather started Kokesh Hardware in 1903.
“The American flag giveaway aligns with Ace Hardware’s long history of supporting veterans nationwide,” said Lefko. “Ace’s very name is a commemoration of the “flying aces,” the courageous fighter pilots from World War I.
“Ace’s patriotism continues through the support of its veteran retailers, and the sincere appreciation for all the veterans and active-duty military who work in Ace stores, distribution centers, and its corporate offices,” said Lefko.
The American flags will be available at participating Ace stores while quantities last and there is a limit of one 8-inch by 12-inch flag per customer, said the hardware retailer.
“With Ace stores easily accessible to millions of Americans, we wanted to step up and provide a way for our customers, and our store owners and associates, to pay tribute to our military men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Lefko.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation’s largest and oldest major war veterans organization.
Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is composed entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces.
There are approximately 1.5 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in nearly 6,000 Posts worldwide.
“We are proud to work alongside patriotic and compassionate companies like Ace Hardware to help ensure our fallen service members are never forgotten,” said Borland.
Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, and founded in 1924, Ace Hardware said it is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world with more than 5,700 locally owned and operated hardware stores in approximately 60 countries.
