Guy Fieri doesn’t think enough is being done for America’s “unsung heroes.”
“We should be celebrating our veterans and our active military and our first responders every single day in this country,” Fieri told Fox News Digital on Jan. 7.
“They’re unsung heroes,” he added.
Fieri noted that “there’s just not enough done” for the citizens who dedicate their lives to being on the front lines, and he called for giving more “attention” to the military and veterans.
The celebrity chef created the Guy Fieri Foundation, which has several programs that honor veterans and first responders for their dedication to duty and service to their communities. Fieri has hosted events that provide a day of recognition through food and words of appreciation.
“I’d love to help causes around the world. … But I really believe that we need to take care of these folks at home first. And that’s what we do,” Fieri said of his foundation.
He explained that his father was part of the military, which is why he finds veterans and first responders very special.
“My dad … was on submarines during Vietnam. A lot of my family members have served in our country. My foundation, the Guy Fieri Foundation, is all about … serving those who have served us.”
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On Tuesday, Fieri’s foundation shared on their Instagram Story that they were out serving L.A. fire first responders.
“Ready to serve our first responders yesterday in Malibu,” the first photo read, including the hashtag “serving those who protect us all.” The following video showed men and women in uniform lining up ready to chow down with text that reads, “It’s go time to serve dinner to our first responders coming off the fire lines @losangelesfiredepartment @calfire in Malibu.”
As the “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” host gears up for his Flavortown Tailgate party for the upcoming Super Bowl, he told Fox News Digital how his partnership with Carnival Cruise Line is doing some good for those “unsung heroes.”
“We made sure that 2,000 of the 10,000 tickets were carved out right off the bat and put aside for them,” Fieri said, referring to active military, veterans and first responders.
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WATCH: GUY FIERI SAYS ‘NOT ENOUGH DONE’ FOR MILITARY, VETERANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS
This year, he’s also teamed up with Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, King’s Hawaiian, TickPick, Sabra and GNC. Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate takes place on Sunday, Feb. 9, in New Orleans. But the very first event happened in Arizona, where something unexpected happened.
“The president of Carnival was backstage … and she goes, ‘I want to give away a cruise.’ I said, ‘OK, how many?’ She goes, ‘Well, I don’t know, 10 or 20.’ And I’m like, ‘What?'”
The chef said the two agreed on whom the cruises should go to, and when they took the stage, Fieri asked anyone who was active military to raise their hands.
WATCH: GUY FIERI’S SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR ACTIVE MILITARY, VETERANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS
“They raised their hand. I said, ‘OK, you, you, you all get a free cruise.’ People lost their minds. People were in tears. And then I said, ‘OK, raise your hand if you’re a veteran.'”
“We live in the greatest country in the world,” Fieri said. “We have the greatest resources in the world. Collective as an energy, we can make anything happen we want to make happen.”
SAMMY HAGAR SAYS ONE TRUCK HAS BEEN FOUND AFTER MILLION-DOLLAR TEQUILA HEIST AT BORDER TOWN
Besides being a charitable celebrity chef and TV host, Fieri co-owns the tequila brand Santo Spirits with former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar.
Last year, two freight trucks carrying $1 million in products for his tequila business were stolen, and he told Fox News Digital that thousands of bottles are still missing.
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“Someone still has 10,000 bottles of it,” Fieri said. “We’re, of course, pretty disheartened by the situation.”
On the weekend of Nov. 9, a representative for Hagar told Fox News Digital that two freight trucks were hijacked in Laredo, Texas.
Hagar’s rep said “it appears this was an organized crime effort where the trucks were illegally double brokered to different carriers who transferred the product to their trucks” after they crossed over the border from Mexico to Texas.
Fieri said one truck is still missing and that it was all part of a plotted hijack.
WATCH: GUY FIERI CLAIMS 10,000 BOTTLES OF TEQUILA STILL MISSING AFTER TRUCKS CARRYING $1M OF BOOZE HIJACKED
“It wasn’t just like haphazardly someone just decided that they would go steal a truck. … Someone was planning it. Someone got it.”
He told Fox News Digital that to make up for the lost tequila truck, he traveled to his business facilities to “immediately” produce more alcohol. He noted that he has his team on a 24/7 program.
“We don’t know where that truck ended up, but there was all kinds of tomfoolery in there. They were doing a GPS masking locators … showing that the truck was in transit.”
Fieri said he initially thought the hijack was a prank. He also noted that his team received “really great support” from the Los Angeles Police Department, which was involved in the case.
