Grace for Vets offers military members free car washes

Veterans Day brings a slew of well-deserved recognition for America's military personnel and veterans. At Magic Car & Pet Wash, that recognition takes the form of water and suds.

On Nov. 11, veterans and current military personnel can come to Kingdom City and claim a free car wash.

"We opened last year in September, and we didn't know about the program until April," said Adam Stanberry, operations manager at Magic Car & Pet Wash. "We went to the International Carwash Convention in Nashville and heard about it and got signed up this year."

This location is just one of over 3,400 registered to give away free carwashes on Veterans Day. The initiative was organized by Grace for Vets, which aims to "honor veterans past and present service to their country," according to the website.

Grace for Vets was founded in 2004. Since then, over 1.2 million free car washes have been given out, the website says. Last year alone, over 200,000 vets participated.

Stanberry said the carwash values its vets. Any time there's an Honor Flight, the wash donates half its earnings for that day to Central Missouri Honor Flight.

"We have a lot of the riders stop to wash their motorcycles," he said. "Other people have started coming by to wash on those days."

The event will take place rain or shine. All a current or past service member need do is show up and request a wash. Grace for Vets doesn't require proof of veteran status.

"This may lead to some abuse, but we believe that the program must be based on one of the guiding principles for a veteran, honor," the site says.

Stanberry said this year, only the automatic carwashes are available for free use by vets. The pet wash station won't be eligible. Non-veteran customers who would rather not wait in line can use the manual booths. After the carwash has a feel for the program, they may adjust their approach.

"We get nothing out of this program," Stanberry said. "We're not gaining anything other than acknowledging our veterans. It's not about the operators that are part of this program, it's about the veterans, and that's what we want to try to make it about."

Veterans and current military service personnel, show up at Magic Car & Pet Wash at 5565 Dunn Dr., Kingdom City, MO 65262 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Nov. 11 to claim your free automatic car wash.

The complete list of participating car washes can be found at bit.ly/2dWyfpE.