This military mom cooks up love for sailors on Thanksgiving

When Karrie Anderson's son joined the Navy, she wanted to make sure that he and his fellow sailors felt at home on Thanksgiving. So she rented a house near the base to prepare four days of feasts for these young heroes-and give them lots of mom hugs!

- Diane Herbst

Thanksgiving 2022 was coming, but Karrie Anderson was struggling to get into the spirit of the holiday. Four months earlier, her youngest son, Adam, had enlisted in the Navy soon after graduating from high school. The Rio Linda, California, mom couldn't help worrying about the immense pressure Adam and his shipmates were feeling as nuclear engineer trainees on a base in South Carolina. With their first holiday away from family approaching, Karrie knew they were feeling homesick. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"I am going to fly to South Carolina and cook Thanksgiving dinner for Adam and any of his friends who want to come," Karrie announced to her husband, an Army veteran. He replied, "Your baby's fine, he doesn't need you to cook for him."

But Karrie's mind was made up. She'd host a second Thanksgiving dinner for her husband, Aron, and older son, D.J., when she returned. Thrilled, Karrie purchased her airline ticket and rented an Airbnb to hold a feast for Adam and his fellow sailors.

Whipping up joy

Karrie loaded up three big suitcases full of pans, bakeware and pots, told Adam to spread the word of the upcoming festivities, and shared her holiday plans with other cadet parents on Facebook.