Latest news with #VFWDayofService
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wisconsin veterans unite with locals to combat hunger crisis
WRIGHTSTOWN, Wis. (WFRV) – Veterans and community members came together Saturday morning to fight hunger, this time, not on the battlefield, but at the donation table. As part of the national VFW Day of Service, members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts and Auxiliaries from Wisconsin's 8th District launched a district-wide 'Veterans Against Hunger' initiative. The final celebration and food drop-off event was held at Cotter Funeral Home in Wrightstown, marking the end of a multi-week campaign supporting rural food pantries and a local animal rescue. Michelle Leick-Leurquin, VFW Post 2113 surgeon and service officer, said the idea came from a conversation with fellow veteran Randy Hansen. 'We know that the southern Brown County food pantries don't get a lot of support the bigger area food pantries get, like Green Bay and De Pere, they get the support of Paul's Pantry,' she said. 'We know that they are in need, especially as our area is growing.' De Pere's Redbird Ribbon Walk unites community for cancer funds Donations were collected at multiple locations, including Community First Credit Union, Dick's Family Foods, and local fire and police departments, which helped organize 'Fill the Squad Car' drives in both De Pere and Wrightstown. Items collected will be distributed to five small food pantries in the area and the newly created Wild and Free Animal Rescue Group. Leick-Leurquin, a 22-year veteran, said the event gave her a chance to keep serving even after retirement. 'I still crave the service,' she said. 'The support is huge. It really gives you that warm feeling in your heart knowing that you're able to give back to everybody and continue to serve.' Boy Scouts from De Pere Troop 1039 also helped collect and sort food at the final event. 'I love helping the community, it's something I've always loved doing,' said Lucas Beck, an Eagle Scout. 'For us it gives us service hours but it helps us know that we got to help the community, that we got to impact it just a little bit more.' Organizers say they hope the campaign inspires more service-based events in the future, uniting veterans and civilians around a common cause. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Oconomowoc food drive, VFW 'Fill the Humvee' event benefits pantry
The Brief The community helped "Fill the Humvee" for the Oconomowoc Food Pantry. VFW Post 2260 organized the event as part of the National Day of Service. Fill the Humvee was one of 1,500 VFW Day of Service events nationwide. OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - The community helped "Fill the Humvee" for the Oconomowoc Food Pantry on Saturday, part of the fourth annual VFW National Day of Service. Local perspective VFW Post 2260 organized the event, which is now in its third year. Community members were encouraged to bring non-perishable food items. All donations directly benefited the Oconomowoc Food Pantry. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android The humvee was parked at the VFW Post on Wisconsin Avenue. Organizers hoped the effort would help ensure no family experiencing food insecurity goes hungry. "People think of Oconomowoc as a wealthy area, and there's a lot of – there's a mixed population here – and there are food insecure (people) here, and what better way to help out than by helping those that need a lift up," said Garret Collins, VFW Post 2260 commander. In addition to collecting food, the VFW accepted cash donations. There were also people posted at three area grocery stores to collect donations. Anyone who missed Saturday's collection can still contribute to the Oconomowoc Food Pantry; yellow barrels collect donations at grocery stores throughout the year. Big picture view Fill the Humvee was one of 1,500 VFW Day of Service events nationwide, according to organizers – three times the number of events compared to last year. The Source Information in this report is from event organizers and FOX6 News interviews.
