The Hinesville Military Affairs Committee has finalized coordination plans to provide free meals to Fort Stewart soldiers and their families during the installation’s July Fourth celebrations.

“Everything is tracking well,” P.J. Schneider told the committee during HMAC’s meeting Monday. “It’s all going to plans. And thanks to increased donations, we’re cutting back on orders from the (Fort Stewart) commissary for hotdogs, hamburgers, sausages, buns, ketchup and mustard. That should keep HMAC’s expenses at $5,000 for this year.”

Schneider said several local restaurants such as Baldinos, Popeye’s and McDonalds were splitting the cost of food with HMAC, which contributed to the savings. He said McDonalds was also providing frozen treats, and another vendor had recently contacting him about providing snow cones.

“Serving starts at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until we run out of food,” he said, noting the food court would be a large white tent in a field behind the car wash and across from Club Stewart. “We will be set up to cook in one area and provide the food in two or three other areas, so the lines won’t be so long.”

Although other veteran organizations, like the Vietnam Veterans Association, are assisting, Schneider stressed volunteers are still needed to help with equipment set on July 3 then cooking and distributing food on July 4, when roughly 15,000 meals will be provided.

Those interested in volunteering can contact Schneider at paul.schneider@gdol.ga.gov.

Volunteers are scheduled to meet at Stewart’s commissary at 10 a.m. on July 3. All those cooking and serving need to attend a safety briefing by Winn Army Community Hospital’s Preventive Medicine personnel at 5 p.m. Thursday, he said.

In other business, George Holtzman updated committee members on the planned Veterans Memorial at Bryant Commons.

He said there had been some discussion about what uniforms the statues would wear to represent each branch of the Armed Services. He and others were considering using the crest of each branch of the military rather than statues. That would cut back on both the expense of the project and the timeline for its completion, which he said is tentatively set for Memorial Day 2015.