Funding will support Soldiers' Angels Veteran transportation program and monthly food distribution efforts
SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- With food insecurity affecting active-duty U.S. Service Members and their families at rates more than double their civilian counterparts, the national nonprofit Soldiers' Angels announced today it has received new funding from the Bob Woodruff Foundation and craig newmark philanthropies to support its Military and Veteran food distribution efforts.
The funding will also support Soldiers' Angels transportation services, which provide Veterans with bus passes or Lyft rides to ensure they do not miss critical VA Hospital appointments.
"The Soldiers' Angels Military and Veteran Food Distribution program is a true labor of love for our staff, our volunteers, and the partners who make them all possible," said Soldiers' Angels President and CEO Amy Palmer. "The funding provided by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and craig newmark philanthropies will help us continue to ensure our Service Members, Veterans, their families, and their caregivers are supported."
The groups also announced that Soldiers' Angels has joined the Bob Woodruff Foundation's Got Your 6 Network, which brings together hundreds of partners across all 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico to provide services to Veterans and uniformed Military in communities across the country.
"In our recently published Got Your 6 Network: Quantifying and Addressing Veterans' Needs in 2023, an initiative that was underwritten by craig newmark philanthropies, we heard from veteran serving organizations nationwide that there are significant gaps between the needs of our veterans and service members, and the capacity of community organizations to address the needs," said Margaret Harrell, Chief Program Officer at the Bob Woodruff Foundation. "In fact, some of the biggest gaps between the demand for and supply of services continue to involve basic needs, including food and transportation."
Soldiers' Angels' food assistance and transportation initiatives have positively impacted over 250,000 Veteran and Military families in the past decade alone. As a result, Soldiers' Angels stands as the foremost provider of food aid dedicated solely to the Military-connected community, underscoring its commitment to supporting those who have served.
In 2023, the organization's food assistance efforts expanded beyond Veterans to also include active-duty Service Members, Guardsmen, and Reservists in need of support. As evidenced in a recent RAND Corporation report, active-duty Service Members and their families have a higher rate of food insecurity than their civilian counterparts, with 25.8% of Service Members reported as food insecure in 2018, compared to only 9% of civilians.
While the generous support provided by the recent funding will help continue the food assistance efforts from Soldiers' Angels, the mission is far from over. With a problem as widespread as Military-connected hunger, more champions like Bob Woodruff and Craig Newmark are needed to continue providing support.
"Critical assistance programs, like our food distributions create such an impact for so many Military-connected families. We need more foundations and corporations to step forward and rally their support for this urgent and important mission," continued Palmer.
Soldiers' Angels' Military and Veteran Food Distribution is a nationwide initiative that started in September 2015 at the nonprofit's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. The program continues monthly and has expanded to Atlanta, Charleston, Denver, Orlando, and Dallas. For information about Soldiers' Angels' efforts to tackle Military and Veteran hunger, visit SoldiersAngels.org/FoodDistributions.
If you are interested in getting involved with this critical assistance and helping to change the lives of our Service Members and Veterans, you are encouraged to email [email protected] and inquire about sponsorships and other funding opportunities.
About Soldiers' Angels: Soldiers' Angels is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides aid, comfort, and resources to the Military, Veterans, and their families. Founded in 2003 by the family of General George Patton, hundreds of thousands of Soldiers' Angels "Angel" volunteers assist Veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways. (Tax ID# 20-0583415, CFC# 25131). Learn more at soldiersangels.org.
May no soldier go unloved | May no soldier walk alone | May no soldier be forgotten | Even after they come home.™
About the Bob Woodruff Foundation: The Bob Woodruff Foundation was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was wounded by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has raised awareness about the tough challenges veterans and military families are facing, and invested in solutions to help support them in the next chapter of their lives. To date, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested over $146 million to ensure that our nation's veterans, service members and their families — those who stood for us — have stable and successful futures. Visit the Bob Woodruff Foundation for more information.
Media Contact
Mark Szymanski, Soldiers' Angels, 1 210-629-0020, [email protected], www.SoldiersAngels.org
Michelle Julazadeh Chavarin, Soldiers' Angels, 1 210-960-4828, [email protected], www.SoldiersAngels.org
SOURCE Soldiers' Angels
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