ANOKA, Minn. – (Nov. 21, 2013) – “You know, with it coming up on Thanksgiving and then through the holidays here, we thought how important it is to make sure there’s food on the table; the very basic things,” said Anoka County Veteran Services director John Kriesel.
“Sometimes we focus on toys ‘make sure the kids have toys and this and that,’ but there are people that are struggling so much that, it’s a concern to even put food on the table during this holiday,” he explained.
To that end the veteran services office is holding a food drive throughout the holiday season. But, Kriesel realizes it’s hard for the office to reach out to veterans alone, and that’s where he needs help from the community.
“We can always reach more veterans, and that’s where the average citizen, everybody that has neighbors that’s in the military, you can tell them about us and what we do here,” Kriesel said. “It’s important to get them to come in, and just sit down with one of our county veteran service officers and see what benefits they may be eligible for,” he said.
Kriesel mentions that even the smallest efforts can make a difference in the life of a veteran. He hopes that the food drive will serve as an outreach program for veterans who have not yet sought assistance.
“Anytime we’re able to have someone leave this office in a better situation than when they came into the office, that shows we’re doing good things,” he said.
Donations can be dropped off at veteran services office in the Anoka County Government Center.
