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DALLAS – In honor of Veterans Day, a Dallas non-profit addressed one major concern for both former and current military personnel.
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According to the non-profit, Soldiers’ Angels, Dallas is one of the top 10 cities where veterans are in need of help.
So the organization began doing a monthly food distribution in September.
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In just two months, they’ve doubled their capacity to meet the growing demand for food.
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They’ve served their country, and now the community is stepping up to serve them ahead of Veterans Day.
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“Let them know that they’re not forgotten and we still appreciate them,” volunteer Fran Morgan said.
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Approximately 200 pre-registered, low-income veterans waited in line at a church parking lot in Dallas to get 75 pounds of food provided by Soldiers’ Angels and their partners, including a turkey and pie for the Thanksgiving holiday.
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“If they’re living on disability, it really isn’t enough. Some of them are on food stamps and this helps them get by,” said Amy Palmer, president of Soldiers’ Angels.
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Folks like Mike Leddy.
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“It’s such a blessing,” Leddy said.
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The Marine veteran is on disability and is the sole provider for his family of four.
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“We’re so grateful for all of this. God is good and so are these volunteers and Soldiers’ Angels, thank you,” he added.
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And it’s not just former service members. Data shows that even active duty personnel and their families have a higher rate of food insecurity than their civilian counterparts.
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Each veteran driving through the line has a personal story.
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Air Force veteran Leslie Tennie was stationed at the Pentagon during 9/11.
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She said events like these matter a lot.
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“It does. So many veterans take their own lives, even active duty. I was there when one of my master sergeants took his own life,” Tennie said. “Especially during the holidays. I think it does help to remember that there are people out there that care.”
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For Army veteran Tracy Delaney, these food distributions relieve some of the financial pressures.
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She said, with inflation, groceries for just her and her husband can run up to $500 per month.
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“Something like this will go a long ways towards helping to make sure we can put more money towards the rent and the light bill,” she said.
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The need has gotten so great that Soldiers’ Angels’ monthly food distributions have gone beyond veterans to also include active duty service members, guardsmen, and reservists in need of support.