Meyer grew up in a family dedicated to the service of this country and because of it, has always had a soft spot for our nation's military and veteran communities. In 2010, after realizing the great number of veteran homeless in the Tampa Bay Community, specifically among the Vietnam war veterans, she decided to act. Through the Abilities Foundation, Meyer has founded the Veterans Mall, a storeroom of home goods, personal hygiene products, food and beverages, and PPE during the pandemic. The services Veterans Mall provides are all distributed free to homeless veterans across Tampa Bay.
Over the last 11 years, the 92-year-old Meyer has assisted nearly 6,000 veterans in need. She has been providing hope to those who need it most to the men and women that served the United States military overseas. Meyer is a shining example of what it means to give back to the heroes of our community.
Meyer becomes the 423rd Lightning Community Hero since Jeff and Penny Vinik introduced the Lightning Community Hero program in 2011-12 with a $10 million, five-season commitment to the Tampa Bay community. Through this evening's game, in total, the Lightning Foundation has granted $22.1 million to more than 750 different nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2016, the Viniks announced that the community hero program will give away another $10 million over the next five seasons.
