$5 for a Vet: The Boise VA Food Pantry Needs Our Community
Five dollars.
It's a cup of coffee. A quick stop at a drive-thru. Something most of us can spend without giving it much thought.
But put enough $5 donations together, and suddenly they can become something much bigger.
They can fill shelves.
They can put food into the hands of a veteran who needs it.
And right now, they can help support a Boise food pantry that says it is at risk of closing.
The Boise VA Food Pantry has issued an urgent call for help, saying its supply of food is running low and asking our community to step up with donations.
Here's the part we think a lot of people may not know:
According to the Boise VA, its food pantry is not financially supported by the government. It is supported entirely through donations and volunteers.
That means the food a veteran takes home from those shelves exists because somebody donated it.
And right now, they need more of us to be those somebodies.
Understanding the Need: Food Insecurity Among Veterans
It's easy to hear the word "veteran" and think about military service, benefits and the VA healthcare system.
What we don't always see is what happens after someone comes home.
For some veterans, the transition to civilian life can include financial instability, housing challenges, disability, unemployment and other circumstances that can make something as basic as keeping food in the refrigerator difficult.
And food insecurity among veterans is a very real issue.
Research has found that veterans can experience food insecurity — meaning they don't consistently have reliable access to enough nutritious food — and certain groups of veterans face an even greater risk.
Food insecurity isn't necessarily what people imagine when they picture "hunger."
It can be a veteran skipping meals so there's enough money for rent.
It can mean choosing a cheaper, less nutritious meal because that's what's affordable.
It can mean making groceries last several days longer than they should.
And for a veteran experiencing homelessness, even the type of food available matters. That's one reason the Boise VA specifically notes that pull-top cans are especially appreciated — some veterans they serve don't have access to something as simple as a can opener.
That's what makes a food pantry like this important.
It's not about giving someone a handout.
It's about making sure a difficult season doesn't also mean going hungry.
What the Boise VA Food Pantry Needs
The pantry is currently asking for unexpired food including:
Chunky soup
Canned fruit and applesauce
Canned vegetables
Canned chicken and tuna
Canned roast beef
Chili, ravioli and pasta
Beef stew
Canned beans
Cold cereal
Instant brown rice and noodles
Peanut butter and jelly
Pasta sauce and boxed spaghetti
Oatmeal
Granola bars, chips, crackers and other snacks
Protein drinks
Frozen meat
Hamburger Helper
Spam
The pantry asks that people do not donate expired products or home-canned foods and requests no glass containers when possible.
Again, pull-top cans can be particularly useful for veterans experiencing homelessness.
Physical donations can be delivered to Building 85A on the Boise VA campus.
Questions about donating food can be directed to the Boise VA at 208-422-1175.
The Good Network Is Asking for $5
We know not everyone has the time to shop for groceries and drive them to the VA.
So we're making another way to help incredibly simple.
Give us $5 for a Vet.
That's it.
The Good Network will collect the money raised through this campaign and work directly with the Boise VA to make sure those dollars go toward what's needed most to support the food pantry and the veterans it serves.
We're not deciding ahead of time what they need.
We're going to ask them.
And then we're going to use the power of this community to help meet that need.
Because $5 by itself doesn't sound like much.
But:
100 people giving $5 = $500.
1,000 people giving $5 = $5,000.
5,000 people giving $5 = $25,000.
That's the whole idea behind The Good Network.
You don't have to be wealthy to make an impact. You don't need a huge organization behind you. And you don't have to solve the entire problem yourself.
Sometimes we just need enough people willing to do something small together.
Our Turn to Show Up
The people who will walk into this pantry aren't strangers from somewhere else.
They're veterans living in our community.
They're our neighbors.
The person standing next to us at the grocery store.
The parent sitting a few rows away at a school program.
The person driving beside us on I-84.
People who, at some point in their lives, raised their hand and agreed to serve.
Today, we're asking our community to raise its hand for them.
Give $5.
Give a bag of groceries.
Share this story with five people.
Whatever showing up looks like for you, do it.
Because no veteran in the Treasure Valley should have to wonder whether there will be food waiting for them when they ask for help.
$5 for a Vet.
Small donation. Big community impact.
