12/06/2025
Sharing this flyer for the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC Food Pantry, and the below testimonials from local Veterans who benefit from it. HKH is collecting donations from now through Thursday, December 18th. Please consider the VA Food Pantry when planning your holiday philanthropy.
A male Army Veteran that served from 1996-2003 stated that the VA Pantry “helps me fill in the gaps so I can always have food. I like being here at the pantry and being able to be around other Veterans. It's a time to connect with my fellow Veterans.” He has been coming to the pantry since the beginning and finds the community an amazing part that other pantries don’t have. He stated that he lives from check to check and “this is the only pantry I come to because I lost my ID and other pantries deny me for that. So, I come here and this is really helpful.”
A female Army Veteran who served from 1996-2005 stated that she comes to the pantry every time since the pandemic. When she had surgery, the VA was delivering me food from the pantry which help me survive. She finds the variety of foods a great asset because she cannot afford the options at the local supermarket. She finds that she eats healthier due to the food offered at the VA Pantry. She said that “it really helps with everything.” She stated that with this assistance she can use money towards rent and helping her mom who is dependent on her support. She prepares all her mother’s food and she would not be able to do it without the VA Pantry. She adds that “this pantry is amazing!”
A 38-year-old female disabled Marine Corps Veteran comes almost every month to the VA panty. She reported that even though she is service connected, due to inflation and higher prices, she is extremely reliant on the local panties such as the VAs. She struggles to make ends meet especially obtaining canned goods and essential staple foods to maintain a healthy diet. She also said that coming to the VA pantry brightens her day and get “me out of the house and in a safe space.” She finds the VA pantry as one of these safe spaces and motivates her to engage with others. The veteran expressed her great appreciation for the support over the past year and finds the staff’s friendly faces as a big need in her life.
A father and son both utilize the pantry monthly. An Air Force Veteran who served from 1995 to 2020 and his father who served four years in Vietnam. The son was injured recently and “it changed everything.” He said that the injury “really humbled me and I became a changed person. I lost my marriage and my life savings.” He became hugely depressed and stopped eating aside from celery. The pantry really came through for him and “now I can eat.” He repeatedly stated that “It just helps me live.” He added that it helps him feel mentally better too. The father who was diagnosed with cancer was forced to live with the son who is his primary caregiver. The pantry is incredibly helpful for the father too. The father cannot cook because he can’t be in the kitchen with his oxygen tank. So the food offered at the pantry “makes life so much easier.” They make their VA appointments on the same day because it costs a lot to get here with gas and tolls. He says that “now I’m hungry less because I have more food from the VA.”
