A Northern Michigan food pantry, just for veterans and their families, will be giving out Thanksgiving food boxes next Monday. The Cadillac Veterans Serving Veterans Food Pantry has been around for more than five years, and they have seen the need grow significantly over that time.
Normally, they hand out food boxes on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. When they first started, they were giving out around 15 boxes at time. They tell us that number has grown to more than 100.
Since Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of this month, veterans and their families can stop by Monday, November 25th to pick up their Thanksgiving boxes.
“We get gift certificates for Turkeys. We went out and purchased flour and sugar this year. We’ve had a couple of food drives in the last couple of months and we try to have people specify Thanksgiving or think Thanksgiving. So, we’ve got boxes with stuffing in them and stuff like that we kind of help out with. The need is out there. I’ve talked to other food pantry people and stuff and everybody needs a little extra. Especially around the holidays. It helps,” said Stephan Birdwell, Cadillac Veterans Serving Veterans food bank director.
The Thanksgiving food boxes will also include a pie baked by community members. If you’re in need of assistance, you only need proof that you are a veteran. No other information is required.
The Cadillac Veterans Serving Veterans Food Bank is well-supported by the community, but they could always use help as the need continues to grow.