Serving up the best year ever.

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Another record-breaking year was served up in the partnership with Golden Corral restaurants as Military Appreciation Monday donations provided $640,756 to fund local DAV service programs.

"Golden Corral continues to show they care about disabled veterans and their families through their wonderful generosity and willingness to do more each year," National Commander Robert T. Reynolds said. "Because they stepped up to the plate to help build better lives for America's disabled veterans and their families again this year, DAV Departments and Chapters nationwide have more money to support service programs which bring help to veterans in local communities."

First conducted in 1999 by a Virginia Beach, Va., Golden Corral franchisee as a "thank you" to local military members, restaurants nationwide now serve free meals for veterans and military members the first Monday following Veterans Day each year. In partnership with the DAV, Golden Corral provides space, support and an opportunity for local Chapters to educate the public, recruit DAV and Auxiliary members and accept donations at local restaurants.

Golden Corral provided additional opportunities for its patrons in 2007. One was a chance to let American service men and women know they are loved and appreciated with a card from home. Cards were made available at all restaurants and mailed free of charge in time for our troops serving overseas to get them before the holidays. More than 45,000 holiday greeting cards have been mailed, and the program is scheduled to continue in 2008.

The total number of free meals provided during the seventh annual Golden Corral Military Appreciation Monday was a tremendous 322,031. The franchise restaurant that served up the most free meals, a total of 1,434, was in Sumter, S.C. The company restaurant serving the most free meals, a whopping 1,807 of them, was in Kokomo, Ind.

Military Appreciation Monday is a celebration, a dinner, a meeting of comrades and a thank you all rolled into one great evening. It's a recipe that has cooked up a lot of goodwill, outreach and assistance for veterans, reserves, National Guard and active duty military. During the last seven years, 1,834,193 free "thank you" meals have been served to them at Golden Corral restaurants nationwide, and $2,535,095 has been contributed to the DAV to support service programs to help veterans in local communities. It is also a celebration of working together to build better lives for America's disabled veterans and their families, a partnership the DAV and Golden Corral are happy to share.

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The top 10 company restaurants with the largest DAV contributions:

Fort Walton Beach, Fla., $14,372

Muskogee, Okla., $10,280

Wilson, N.C., $8,404

Kokomo, Ind., $8,364

#913 Oklahoma City, Okla., $7,062

#561 Oklahoma City, Okla., $6,627

Lawton, Okla., $5,389

Tifton, Ga., $4,500

Enid, Okla., $3,794

Wilmington, N.C., $3,575

The top 10 franchise restaurants with the largest DAV contributions

Fort Smith, Ark., $13,925

Charlottesville, Va., $13,164

Landover, Md., $13,032

Waldorf, Md., $10,083

Virginia Beach, Va., $8,926

Baltimore, Md., $8,842

Glen Burnie, Md., $8,269

Chesapeake, Va., $7,249

Hanover, Md., $7,160

Newport News, Va., $5,948