Veterans Are Offered Help with Thanksgiving Dinner
The G.I. Go Fund, Gore Financial LLC and ZBRELLA Inc., are offering struggling veterans Foodtown gift cards to help pay for Thanksgiving.
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When millions of Americans sit down to a hot Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, three local companies want to make sure that New Jersey's veterans are too.
The non-profit G.I. Go Fund, along with Gore Financial LLC. of Oregon and ZBRELLA Inc. of New York City, want to say "thank you" to veterans in six New Jersey counties this year.
Veterans who are having financial hardship will be offered $50 giftcards to Foodtown Supermarkets to help pay for their Thanksgiving dinners. The cards will be provided on a need basis to veterans in Essex, Bergen, Morris, Monmouth, Ocean and Hunterdon counties.
With the rate of veterans’ unemployment above 12 percent, including an astonishing 30 percent rate for those under the age 25, more and more veterans are finding it difficult to provide for their families during this Thanksgiving season.
“Too many of our veterans are going to struggle to provide their families this Thanksgiving,” said G.I. Go Fund Executive Director Jack Fanous. “Many people are hurting this holiday season, but it is our veterans, the men and women who risked their lives by volunteering to protect us, that are feeling the most pain. We want to make sure that veterans coming home from war are provided the opportunity to give their families a great Thanksgiving dinner.”
The grocery cards, which can be used at any Foodtown Supermarket, were provided through generous donations of more than $6,000 from Gore Financial LCC and ZBRELLA Inc.
Veterans living in one of the qualifying counties who are struggling with financial difficulties can receive these grocery cards by calling the G.I. Go Fund directly at (973)802-1479. Cards are limited, so they will be provided to those veterans most in need on a first come, first serve basis.
A non-profit charitable organization, the G.I. Go Fund was founded in 2006 to provide transition assistance to all military veterans, with a focus on veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Since its creation the Fund has held numerous job fairs and other programs to benefit veterans in the state of New Jersey.
Linda West Eckhardt
1:40 pm on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
You know what irritates me about this. If somebody asks for help, they need it. Why would they require the veterans "prove" their need. Seems insulting to the vets and unnecessarily intrusive. I am offended.
Gary Englert
3:01 pm on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
@ Linda West Eckhardt: While keeping in mind that there are charlatans out there of every stripe (even veterans or those claiming to be veterans), I think you're placing undue emphasis on what will likely be a very simple qualification process. I am very familiar with the good work done by the GI Go Fund and know they will do everything they can to help those veterans in need, while safeguarding the resources charitably provided to them. I have seen people arrive at an event for homeless veterans, in a new Lexus SUV, claiming to be in need in order to purloin a pair of surplus combat boots.