In its second year, Uniting to Combat Hunger, a campaign dedicated to providing food-insecure families with nutritious meals, supplied more than 300,000 meals to needy families in July at the 120th VFW National Convention in Orlando, Fla.
Kenneth Yount, quartermaster of Post 5820 in Ravenna, Neb., and James Lutz, quartermaster of Post 759 in Kearney, Neb., sort and package potatoes during a Uniting to Combat Hunger event at the 2019 VFW National Convention in Orlando. VFW and Humana volunteers bagged about 35,000 pounds of potatoes at the convention. The VFW and Humana worked together with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, the Society of St. Andrew and CarePlus Health Plans. Last year, the VFW launched Uniting to Combat Hunger and provided more than 50,000 meals to families in the Kansas City, Mo., area. The goal for 2019 was to supply at least 100,000 meals to families in the Orlando, Fla., area.
VFW Foundation Manager Richard Freiburghouse said the VFW participates in this initiative because 25 percent of military households and 27 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are affected by food insecurity.
“Food insecurity doesn’t just mean that people are going hungry,” Freiburghouse said. “It means people don’t have access to healthy foods and fresh produce. By working together with Humana, we hope to make a difference in the lives of families, including active-duty and veteran households.”
This year’s campaign garnered 300,000 meals and 2,000 cases of water to those in need. At the national convention, VFW volunteers from across the country and Humana staff members bagged about 35,000 pounds in donated potatoes.
Worthe Holt, vice president of Humana’s Office of the Chief Medical Officer, said Humana has a “longstanding relationship” with the military and veterans’ community.
“Our continued support for and relationship with the VFW demonstrate our commitment to providing veterans with the resources, information and guidance to achieve their best health as well as focus on issues such as food insecurity among veterans,” Holt said.
For more information or to get involved with the Uniting to Combat Hunger campaign, visit vfw.org/unitingtocombathunger.
This article was featured in the September/October 2019 issue of VFW Checkpoint. If you're a Post, District or Department Commander and aren't receiving the Checkpoint e-newsletter, please contact the VFW magazine at magazine@vfw.org.