A pound of sugar. A box of stuffing mix. A few cans of vegetables. Several pounds of onions and potatoes. They’re simple pantry items, but for some veterans, these staples can be out of reach.
The Care and Share program from John J. Pershing VA Medical Center and area community members aims to change that.
Volunteers gathered Thursday at the Poplar Bluff Missouri National Guard Armory to pack holiday care boxes for more than 200 veterans in need. The program provides extra resources every Thanksgiving and Christmas, in addition to a separate monthly food pantry for veterans.
“Care and Share provides baskets that contain groceries, cleaning supplies and warm gifts,” explained Lotoya Halliburton, voluntary services specialist. “We do this every year.”
About $9,000 was raised from VA staff and community donations, with another $6,000 coming from a Home Depot grant, said Dale Garrett, a voluntary services officer.
“During the holiday times, a lot of our poorer veterans who live below the federal poverty guidelines receive little to nothing for Christmas,” Garrett explained Thursday morning, as volunteers began unloading pallets of canned and dry goods. “This was started to help them and let them know they are thought about and cared about.”
Volunteers at the packing event included VA staff, as well as employees of Home Depot and the Daily American Republic.
Husband and wife Daniel and Elizabeth McLean are VA employees who have volunteered for the past four years.
“He’s a veteran,” Elizabeth McLean explained, after the pair helped build the 200 plus boxes that would be filled with items for those in need. “We are so blessed and we just love helping.”
Home Depot has been involved for more than a decade, said store manager Monica Woolem. It came about after a VA staff member discussed Care and Share with a Home Depot staff member during a car show sponsored by the store.
“The biggest thing is to be able to take care of the veterans,” Woolem said. “(This lets us) be able to do that, and be able to take care of our community.”
“We live our value wheel that we wear every day, giving back for what they’ve given to us,” added assistant store manager Aaron Williams.
This effort is made possible by the donations and generosity of the public, said VA staff member Toni Stoner.
“We have amazing people who donate to our veterans,” she said.
Stoner was among those who were scheduled to help deliver the boxes Friday. Boxes will go to veterans in the Poplar Bluff area, as well as surrounding areas within the VA’s service area and its clinics.