JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mayor Donna Deegan joined the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation and the city’s Military Affairs & Veterans Department on Wednesday to highlight events for the 2025 Celebration of Valor and announce the Jaguars community grants for organizations serving active-duty military and veterans.
Watch the full ceremony below.
The Celebration of Valor honors those who have served and those who continue to serve the nation. It’s a tradition that spans 25 local events from October through December.
“This citywide celebration reflects deep respect and appreciation our community holds for the men and women who wear the uniform and for their families who stand beside them,” Deegan said.
She also said veterans are the heart of this city.
“Because they have sacrificed so much for us,” Deegan said. “They dedicate their lives to protecting us, and we can feel that. We have so much love for them because they have so much love for us.”
Rafael Santiago, the County Supervisor of Military Affairs 5 Veterans Department, said there are 88,000 veterans living in Jacksonville.
Deegan said that the MAVD led by Harrison Conyers, has launched a new initiative called the Food Farmacy with Feeding Northeast Florida, Beam and Catholic Charities.
“The food pharmacy provides fresh, healthy food at two locations in Mayport and on the Westside for our active duty military families,” Deegan said.
Starting in December, military families can get fed twice a month.
Every day, veterans walk through the doors asking for help.
“We have 8,000 people that walk through the doors, but over 300,000 contacts every single year,” Conyers said.
The help isn’t just for veterans; it’s also for their families.
“We assist them with preparing claims for service-connected disability, we assist the widows,” Santiago said.
With the government shutdown, it’s important for the city to expand its food assistance services.
“The requests just for food assistance have really gotten bigger and so we want to make sure that no person who has ever put on the uniform and served this country ever has to worry about going hungry, whether it’s the Food Farmacy that we talked about today where we actually help active duty military members get food,” Deegan said.
Click here for the full list of Celebration of Valor events.
The Jaguars Foundation has been in partnership with the city for 13 years. It awarded grants to nonprofits serving military families and the community.
Award winners are:
- Feeding Northeast Florida
- Five Star Veterans Center
- Florida National Guard Foundation
- Friends Jacksonville Veterans Treatment Court
- Guitars for Vets
- Hope for Veterans
- Jacksonville Humane Society
- Navy League of the U.S. Mayport Council
- Northeast Florida Women’s Veterans Association
- Operation Barnabus
- Operation New Uniform