APPLETON, Wis–Last Thursday, June 29, we partnered with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin to host our 5th annual Combat Hunger Food & Funds Drive at Pick n’ Save on N. Ballard in Appleton. The Combat Hunger event collects donations in food or monetary form, and turns them into meals for veterans struggling with food insecurity. By the end of the event, enough money and pounds of food were raised to provide 52,580 meals for veterans in the Fox Valley who struggle with hunger.
Throughout the day, all six of our stations had on-air talent come out and broadcast live from the event, starting at 6 a.m. with Ross from WAPL and ending at 6 p.m. with Eddie from 95.9 Kiss FM. Community members stopped by to make their food and monetary donations, placing them in the bin of a military branch of their choosing (Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy). The Army came out on top, ending the day with about 445 pounds in food donations. Oshkosh Defense also brought the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) on-site for a photo-op for donors.
All food and Pick n’ Save gift cards donated by members of the community went to benefit Wisconsin Veterans Village Association, Inc. The cash and online donations will be split 50/50 by Veterans Village and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. Veterans Village is an Appleton-based organization that serves those who served – providing affordable housing, support, and community to Wisconsin veterans throughout their lifespan. Unfortunately, many veterans don’t know where their next meal is coming from. As many as 160,000 active-duty enlisted service members struggle with food insecurity, according to Feeding America’s national office. Furthermore, 1 in 9 working-age veterans live in food insecure households, 24% of active-duty service members were food insecure in 2020, and 1.2 million low-income veterans use SNAP.
Events like Combat Hunger provide an opportunity for us to rally together and support the veterans in our community. We want to thank our sponsors, TDS and Jack’s Maintenance for their partnership and involvement in making the Combat Hunger event successful.
