Have you heard about how our amazing community tackled veteran hunger with military precision? It was so much more than just food drives and donations—it was a huge operation that required tactical coordination and the incredible dedication of volunteers and community members like you!
Woodward Community Media (WCM), Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Jack’s Maintenance, and TDS recently joined forces to wage an all-out battle against veteran hunger at the 6th Annual “Combat Hunger 2024” event on Thursday, June 27th. They hosted a massive food and funds drive at the Pick ‘N Save on North Ballard in Appleton.
From 6 AM to 6 PM, they gathered non-perishable food items and monetary donations to help support food-insecure veterans and their families. What made it even more special was that donors could choose which military branch their donation went to—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard.
With donation matching hours, live radio broadcasts from Woodward stations, including KISS FM Mornings with Otis, Katie & Nick and WHBY’s Focus Fox Valley with Hayley Tenpas, and several different ways to give, the event was a real team effort to combat veteran hunger in Northeast Wisconsin.
The impact of this year’s event surpassed all expectations, marking it as the most significant to date. With an outstanding contribution of over 2,300 pounds of food and an impressive $16,300 in funds raised, the collective effort will result in more than 67,000 meals being provided to food-insecure veterans and their families. “This remarkable achievement underscores the unwavering spirit of generosity and support for veterans within our community,” said Roxanne Steele, WCM Marketing Director.
The donated food and funds will be distributed to both the Outagamie and Winnebago Veterans Service Offices, Lutheran Social Services, facilitator to the Veterans Housing and Recovery Office, and the Wisconsin Veterans Village Association.
If you missed out, you can still learn more about the cause and how you can get involved at FeedingAmerica.org. Our community really rallied together to make a difference for our veterans and their families, showing them that we truly have their backs!
