Plymouth Server Once Again Purchasing Meals for Vets on Veterans Day
PLYMOUTH ( WBSM ) — Plymouth's favorite server is at it once again, giving back to members of the community who gave so much for our freedom.
Corey Dries, a server at Ocho's Cafe in Plymouth's Colony Place, is again purchasing meals for veterans on Veterans Day. It's the second straight year of what he refers to as his "Veterans Appreciation Day."
Last November, Dries purchased over 30 meals for veterans who came in and sat in his section during the course of the day.
"It really was nice. They said that never to change who I am and that this world needs more people like me, there's not many of me left in this world," he said.
"I'm trying to help as many lives as I can while I'm here and spread love and happiness to this world we live in," Dries said.
Plymouth Server Offering to Buy Meals for Vets on Veterans Day
Dries said last year he amassed "a big, fat bill" of over $3,000 for all of the veterans' meals he purchased, which he was able to pay for thanks to donations from the community.
"The last set of the money I donated to the (veterans) hospital in Brockton," he said. "I bought them a lot of socks and cookies for the men and women up there. I wish I got photos because it was the time of my life."
This year, Dries said he's "doing it bigger and better" this year.
"I'm getting balloons where you can take photos next to them. I hired a private contractor to set them up. She does amazing work," he said.
"I got a bunch of donations and a lot of people donating letters to hand out," Dries said. "I also will have a table dedicated to the veterans who passed away that will have a big bouquet of flowers I paid for, too."
He said he's adding other decorations to Ocho's that day, and in all has spent about $400 on just the decorations alone. He is also once again accepting donations through Venmo to help pay for all of the veterans' meals, but is fully prepared to pay for it all out of his own pocket if donations don't come in.
To get a free entree, veterans just need to come down to Ocho's Cafe anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. on November 11 and request Corey as their server. Just as he did last year, Dries will be checking military IDs to ensure that the person is truly a vet.
He will also be setting up a box to collect donations for the Disabled Americans Veterans Auxiliary in Brockton such as food, supplies, and other items the veterans there could use. Dries also plans on putting together a Thanksgiving drive once Veterans Day has passed.
As Dries told us last year, a big reason he wants to give back to veterans is because he himself was unable to serve in the military, despite wanting to do so pretty much his entire life.
"I suffer from mental health issues. I always wanted to be in the Army since I was a kid, but I couldn't because of those mental health issues," he said.
Instead, he has found other ways he could give back to those who defended our freedom, and said that is the most rewarding experience of all.
"I had several veterans cry on my shoulder and say some of the nicest things to me," he said. "One of them opened up to me about what happened in Iraq and it made me start to cry, and it makes me want to do more for them and what they sacrifice for us."
