REEDSVILLE — Members of Vietnam Veterans Post 977, along with John Hyre, director of the Preston County Sheltered Workshop, filled 40 boxes of food to provide Christmas dinner for local Preston County veterans in need.
Items in the box included a ham, potatoes, canned vegetables, rolls, butter and orange juice.
“The Helpful Harvest Feeding Program provided the food for the boxes,” Hyre said. “Healthy Harvest is funded by the Hazel Ruby Foundation. Food from the program also provides food to 35 food pantries in Mon and Preston County.”
He said the United Way of Monongalia and Preston and Counties oversees the program.
According to the United Way, prior the being distributed, the food is packaged at the Helpful Harvest headquarters in Morgantown, with other assistance at the Preston County Workshop. The United Way staff, volunteers and workshop volunteers give the food to area pantries and programs, which then distribute it to families in need in both counties.
Hyre said Christmas dinner wasn’t the only meal provided to local veterans this year He said members of VVA Post 977 also boxed food for Thanksgiving dinners for local veterans.
Jim Savage, president of VVA Post 977, said this was the first year the VVA has worked cooperatively with other organizations to deliver dinners to local veterans.
“We do another similar program every year, but we buy the food and items for those dinners,” he said.
Vietnam Veterans Post 977 can be reached at P.O. Box 803, Masontown, WV 26542. Follow @VVAChapter 977 on Facebook for information about meetings.
For more information about the Preston County Sheltered Work Shop phone 304-864-6446, or go to Facebook, or pcsworkshop.com.
The United Way of Monongalia and Preston and Counties can be found at unitedwaympc.org or by calling 304-296-7525.
