Fort Benning coffee shop urges community to sponsor wreaths for veterans’ graves

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) -A coffee shop on post is asking the community to help honor veterans with wreaths this December.Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit that places a wreath on veterans’ graves every December. This year’s National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, Dec. 19.The Fort Benning Main Post Cemetery has 8,785 graves. As of November 9th, 457 had a sponsored wreath, according to the group’s website. Alexis Lunardi, chief operating officer of Mission Brewed Coffee and a military spouse, says those numbers stunned her.“really less than a quarter sometimes less than a eighth of the headstones here actually receive a wreath every year and becca and i both have family members that are buried at military cemeteries and it was hard to fathom that there are people whose family members that are buried out here that don’t receive the recognition,” Lunardi said.How the coffee shop is helpingMission Brewed Coffee started in owner Rebecca Lockhart’s home. It is now inside the Soldier