Heroes ring in the holidays at Mall of America

More than 3,200 military members, veterans and their families attended the Holiday for Heroes event at Mall of America.

The mall, working with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, invited attendees to enjoy unlimited rides at Nickelodeon Universe, free breakfast at Hard Rock Cafe, a military resource fair, visits with Santa, an ugly sweater photo booth and prizes valued at more than $200.

This is the first year Mall of America has hosted Holiday for Heroes.

The event is a community outreach element of the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program. As a certified Beyond the Yellow Ribbon company, Mall of America provides resources and services to help employees who are service members and veterans, as well as their families before, during and after deployment. The state of Minnesota officially proclaimed Mall of America a "Yellow Ribbon" company in January. To achieve this proclamation, Mall of America –- in addition to its military discounts at select MOA retailers –- provides support through its human resources, community and employee outreach departments as well as training and development programs.

Mall of America is the nation's largest retail and entertainment complex, with 4.87 million square feet and more than 520 shops.