Packing Gratitude: Crown Royal’s Purple Bag Project Comes to Johnny D’s

FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. – At Johnny D’s Beach Bar & Grill, the spirit of community and patriotism came together for the Purple Bag Project, a heartfelt initiative supporting U.S. troops overseas on Monday.

Hosted by owners Dave and Kim Joy in partnership with Crown Royal, the event invited guests to pack care bags filled with essential toiletries and handwritten notes of encouragement for servicemen and women serving far from home.

“The Purple Bag Project is a project by Crown Royal, they’ve done since 2010. There are over a million bags that they donated to our troops overseas since that time,” said Dave Joy.

“So, they provide all of the toiletry items that go in the bags, and then we just invite people in to write a note to our servicemen and women who really have provided us with all of our freedoms. To give back a little bit of stuff, you know, pack a bag, Crown Royal takes care of the rest and ships them to our servicemen and women overseas.”

For Joy, hosting the event is simply an extension of how he and his wife operate their business.

“To us, it was a no-brainer because that’s what we’ve been doing for the two years that my wife and I have owned Johnny D’s,” Joy said.

“We give to the Humane Society, through menu item placement. We have helped other restaurants in our community when they’ve had issues that have arisen. And it’s important to us. I mean, if we’re going to be part of the beach community, we have to be a part of the beach community.”

He emphasized the deeper meaning behind the purple bags.

“Well, I think if you think of any freedom that you may have, they’re the cause for it. They’re the reason for it,” Joy said. “They’re in places away from their family where those of us that, you know, live with their family or hang out with people that we know, do that every day. They don’t have that luxury. So, to get a taste of home or something to make their lives a little easier, I think, is a fantastic thing.”

Watching the steady stream of patrons stop by to pack bags and write notes of encouragement was especially moving for Anneke Riley.

“Absolutely a positive experience. They’re taking their generosity and their love for our country, and they are giving that to the troops abroad as well,” Riley said. “It’s very heartwarming.”

The event reflected both the mission behind Crown Royal’s long-running military support effort and the Joys’ personal philosophy of giving back.

“Crown Royal is all about, you know, if you have something, you should give something,” Joy said. “And I mean, that’s how we’ve ran this bar since we’ve owned it. And I think it’s important that people do that.”

On a day filled with purple bags and patriotic pride, one thing was clear, small acts of kindness from a beachside community can travel across oceans — and straight into the hearts of those who serve.

For more information on The Purple Bag Project, visit https://www.crownroyal.com/PurpleBagProject.