FORT BELVOIR, Virginia (WUSA)--Dinner time at the Leders is controlled chaos. However, Laurie and her husband, Staff Sgt. Tim Leder, run a tight ship. They have no choice. They have 12 children.

"I remember seeing an ad for a store one time.And it said the average family will go through 27 boxes of cereal a year,"says Laurie. "And I kind of laugh at that because we go through 50 boxes in a month."

Their monthly grocery bill is $600. Throw in a big holiday meal and the budget can get tight.

"It's not that we would necessarily not have a dinner if the USO didn't provide it," says Laurie. "But we would have to budget that in. And we would probably have to cut in other areas to make sure we had all the other trimmings. So for the USO to be able to take that burden of it off is a huge thing for us."

MORE: Donate to USO's Turkeys for Troops

Staff Sgt. Leder has served one tour in Iraq. He knows what it's like to be away from home for the holidays. And he also knows duty can call again, anytime.

"I don't take for granted our holidays together. Because I think of all the troops that are out of town, how many of these guys can't be there with their families during the holidays. And how blessed I am to be able to be at home with mine," says Tim.

And how blessed to have the USO by his family's side.

If you'd like to honor our active duty military--people like Tim Leder and his family-- please consider donating to the USO's Turkeys for Troops. Your donation will help buy holiday food baskets for area military families. Each basket costs $50.If you can't afford $50, no problem. Any amount is appreciated. All you have to do is click here to donate on line. All the money you donate stays right here in our area to help local families.

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