Food pantry for veterans expands at new location

The Veterans Healthy Food Surplus food pantry is changing to a drive-thru distribution starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday. It will be held at the National Guard Armory in Poplar Bluff, located at 1605 Cravens Road.

“A growth in the number of veterans we can now serve has caused a need to change the monthly food pantry distribution procedure from home deliveries to a drive-thru food pantry at a new location, operating on a first-come, first-served basis,” said Ashley Aubuchon, MSN, RN-BC, at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center.

VA officials say veterans who are interested in participating do not have to sign up.

They can show up to receive the food on a first-come, first-served basis, said Aubuchon, who is the health promotion disease prevention program manager. Veterans are asked to bring an identification card.

Project managers expect to serve up to 80 veterans each month with the program, which is funded through a partnership with Southeast Missouri Food Bank and individual donations.

The Southeast Missouri Food Bank submitted a grant application to support veterans and cultivate their partnership with the local VA medical center, and the grant was approved, Aubuchon said.

“Under the grant, we can increase the number of veterans by 25 to serve a total of 75-80 veterans per month, and we can provide extra food (produce and non-perishable protein), which would provide about 35 additional pounds per veteran to support nutrition and improve health outcomes.”

Aubuchon said, “we believe this change benefits veterans in many ways by keeping veterans safe, making it easier for veterans to get assistance, and serving more veterans than we have previously. A drive-thru pantry expands our current pantry’s capacity while serving the veteran community, who face limited resources and may not be able to access food through traditional means.”

Praising the local guard, Aubuchon said, “we could not have made this drive-thru food pantry happen without the local National Guard’s support.

“They provided us the venue and have been a part of the planning process, and supplied additional resources to make this drive-thru food pantry run smoothly, including workforce.”

Anyone wanting to donate to help veterans’ needs may write a check to John J. Pershing VAMC, then in the memo section, write what they want it to be used toward, e.g., “monthly food pantry.”

Aubuchon explained the checks may be mailed or delivered in person.

If they’re going to mail the check, send them to John J. Pershing VAMC, Att: Voluntary Service, 1500 N. Westwood Blvd., Poplar Bluff, MO., 63901.

“We can get pictures with them if (they come) in person, or they can send us a pic of their choice for us to use on Facebook,” Aubuchon said.

The food pantry operates on the fourth Wednesday of each month.