- The Omaha VA's food pantry helps thousands of local veterans facing food insecurity
- The New Cassel Retirement Center is collecting canned goods and cash at its annual fireworks show on Wednesday
- The pantry is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 10am to 1pm
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – Michael Ingram has never stopped serving.
As chief of the Center for Development and Civic Engagement at the Omaha VA Medical Center, near 42nd and Center, Ingram oversees a food pantry that helps thousands of veterans in the area facing food insecurity.
Ingram is a veteran himself, and he said the need is real.
"We had a mother, and the story is not unique. And she said that the food that we provided her was the only food that her and her children would have for the entire week," Ingram said. "It made me go speechless."
The New Cassel Retirement Center wants to help. President and CEO Tracy Lichti said the center hosts an annual fireworks show on Wednesday night, and this year attendees will need to bring money or canned goods, which will be donated to the pantry.
"And so tonight, we're gonna gathered food for them. It's the very first time we've ever done it, I learned that it's a brand new program for them, and so we're honored to be able to gather food items for them," Lichti said.
Danielle Coleman with the New Cassel Foundation said the effort goes beyond filling shelves.
"Yeah, it's absolutely more than that. It's, like, providing them with the dignity that they deserve," Coleman said.
Back at the pantry, Ingram said the mission drives him forward.
"You just get that sense of what we're doing is having an impact. And those kind of impacts are what we want more of. So, it's an honor to be able to serve those who served," Ingram said.
Canned goods can be dropped off at the Omaha VA Medical Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.
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