Frank Arteaga and his family pictured with their new appliances
It is often thought that the kitchen is the foundation of any home. It’s a place for gathering, breaking bread with loved ones, and recreating recipes that have been in the family for generations. In 2020, Frank Arteaga applied for the HOPE Warrior’s Wish Program requesting new kitchen appliances, as the old ones were no longer functioning properly. This made it difficult to fully use the space, which is where Frank and his family spend most of their time together. Now, with the new appliances fully installed, we are excited to share all this wish has done for this warrior family!
In 1995 after graduating high school, Frank joined the United States Navy with the desire to travel and see the world. As a Religious Program Specialist, he deployed twice to Iraq, serving not only his country but his fellow service members by being a listening ear and support system during difficult times overseas. During this time, he sustained injuries that greatly affected his daily life, and after 14 years, he was honorably discharged in 2009.
After serving, Frank has dedicated time to his wife and six children, four of whom live at home. With a house full of kids, who are all involved in different activities, it can be difficult to find moments together as a family. With appliances that don’t work properly and require constant fixing, time together becomes even more limited and harder to make.
“Every time we would cook, the oven would heat up the whole house, and the food would come out uneven,” said Frank. “With our dishwasher, we would have to run the hot water just to get that to work, and we constantly had to order new parts for the fridge and spend time fixing that.”
After learning about the Warrior’s Wish Program, Frank saw an opportunity to improve his family’s quality of life and a way to strengthen their bonds with each other.
“When I heard about the Warrior’s Wish Program, I immediately thought about my family because the kitchen is our hub,” said Frank. “We try to make cooking together a habit by gathering in the kitchen. [Because of the new appliances] we can move smoothly, the dinners are even better than they were before, and the kids are able to help with things, so it brings us even closer.”
HOPE’s Warrior’s Wish Program is designed to transform the lives of service members, and that is exactly what it has done for Frank and his family. We are honored to be a part of bringing them together to create new memories and traditions. Be a part of this warrior family’s journey by checking out the recipe below for one of their favorite meals to share together!
“We want to say a BIG thank you to HOPE,” said Frank. “We greatly appreciate all the support you have shown us and appreciate all the support that you receive to make things like this happen.”
We are thankful for our generous donors and partners who have helped us continue to give back in significant ways to our warrior community. Please click here to learn more about the Warriors Wish program and how you can support granting more in the future!
Warrior Family Meal
