Jackson VA distributes 400 turkeys to Veterans in time for Thanksgiving
While there may have been freezing temperatures across the Jackson metro on Saturday morning, hundreds of Veterans and their families lined the G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center parking lot to pick up their Thanksgiving dinner.
The very first Veteran arrived to start the line at 4:30 a.m. People waited hours in their cars for free Thanksgiving meals as volunteers from Humana MarketPoint and GVSMVAMC staff gave out more than 400 turkeys to those who attended. Among the items handed out were turkeys, boxes of fruit and vegetables, and shelf-stable items.
“We have hosted our drive-thru food pantry events every third Saturday for the past several years, but with the holidays quickly approaching, we wanted to make this month’s event extra special,” said Tony Bailey, GVSMVAMC Chief of Center for Development and Civic Engagement, formerly known as Voluntary Service. “Thanks to a special donation from Humana MarketPoint, we purchased 400 turkeys to distribute in addition to the donations we received through the Fondren Reinaissance Foundation’s Feed a Vet canned goods drive.”
The monthly Drive-Thru Food Pantry event, affectionally known as Freedom Foods, was designed to provide perishable and non-perishable goods to Veterans who may be experiencing hardship.
With inflation spiking, many people found themselves very grateful for the giveaway event, even on an unseasonably cold Saturday.
Bailey added, “This Thanksgiving, not only are we thankful for the Veterans we serve each day, we are also thankful for our amazing community partners because they allow us to help provide a little something extra to those who have provided and protected our Freedom.”
The G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VAMC and the Columbus, Greenville, Hattiesburg, Kosciusko, McComb, Meridian, and Natchez VA Clinics are all part of the VA Jackson Health Care System which is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, and provide a variety of medical outpatient services to more than 54,000 Veterans. For more information visit www.jackson.va.gov.