Our Chicago: Helping veterans in need and honoring those who have served
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that veterans are 7% more likely to experience food insecurity than non-veterans.
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Illinois-based company Farm 2 Veteran aims to help bridge the gap.
It began on a 60-acre farm in Manhattan, Illinois, providing free meat, eggs and produce to veterans.
The organization has grown, and it now provides meals to veterans in nine states including Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
Michelle Keller is Senior Director at Farm 2 Veteran. She says veterans are vulnerable to food insecurity because many return home and don't know what the next steps are.
Some return to civilian life with PTSD, mental health concerns or some may struggle with addiction.
Farm 2 Veteran was established in 2020 as a for-profit entity. Then the founder decided, he wanted to do something to help veterans.
The company works with partner organizations to get the food to those who need it.
"Local veterans assistance commissions, veterans' affairs offices along with private organizations such as Volunteers of America Illinois that has housed veteran locations," Keller explained. "We also work with a couple of other locations in the city of Chicago as well."
Farm 2 Veteran provides organizations with freezers and refrigerators to store the food.
Honor Flight Chicago recognizes war veterans with a one-day trip to Washington D.C. to visit our country's war memorials.
The most recent trip was Wednesday, April 9. A large crowd welcomed the veterans back to Midway Airport, after their visit to the nation's capital.
There were 114 Veterans, some served in World War Two, The Korean and Vietnam wars. That trip was the 120th since Honor Flight Chicago partnered with the city's department of aviation.
John Ptak is the President of Honor Flight Chicago which got its start in 2008.
He said that over the last sixteen seasons, they've flown 11,456 veterans and more than 2,000 are on a wait list.
Honor Flight starts sending out invitations several weeks before a scheduled flight.
Along the way, Ptak says, they let applicants know where they are on the wait list.
"We get a lot of feedback after our trips and everyone is very appreciative of being able to see the memorial that was built in their honor," he said. "But it really is the people that they meet that make the difference. It's the comradery with the other veterans that are on the trip."
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