Andrew served in the Air Force for eight years. Despite his hard work, he was homeless until December of 2019. Then, he started going to Pantry for Adair County, a Food Bank partner agency.
“There is great community support,” said Andrew, a veteran, with tears in his eyes, “Especially during trying times.”
Like many veterans we serve, Andrew receives a VIP Veteran Pack every month when picking up food at his pantry. Packs include items like entrees, soup, fruit and vegetables in easy-to-open cans, as well as toiletries such as razors, body wash and deodorant.
This year, The Food Bank has been working on serving more veterans in our service area. In July, we served a record-breaking number of VIP Veteran Packs.
At the beginning of 2021, The Food Bank provided 250 VIP Veteran Packs every month across our service area. In July, The Food Bank was able to serve 450 veterans like Andrew a pack. The expansion is thanks to Feeding America Anonymous Donor Veterans and Military Families grant.
“I try to volunteer when I can,” said Andrew. “I’m incredibly grateful and do anything I can to give back.”
Veterans volunteer at partner agencies throughout The Food Bank’s service area. At Knox County Food Cupboard, seven volunteers are veterans. Mike Fox and Ivan Hall have been serving with their friends and families since they retired. Mike was in the navy and Ivan was drafted into the army. “Anyone who has been in the service feels like they have a duty to volunteer and help,” said Mike.
Knox County Food Cupboard, the newest partner agency to join the program, started providing VIP Packs in August. Jerry Reeves, executive director of the Knox County Food Cupboard board, believes they will be serving about 50 veterans each month. Six of the veterans served are volunteers with the pantry.
“It’s a great thing we have a lot of veterans,” Jerry said, “Anything that comes along to help them, they should be able to have. They deserve it.”