‘Veterans helping veterans’ as new food bank to fill hole left by Legion closure
A group of veterans is hoping to fill the void left behind by the impending closure of the Calgary Veterans Food Bank next year.
The Royal Canadian Legion’s Alberta and Northwest Territories Command said last month the food bank will shut down in January to free up funding for other initiatives.
Following the announcement, a group of about a dozen veterans decided they would start their own food bank.
“Essentially a group of veterans just got together and said we can’t have this close,” said Eric Nauss, spokesman for the initiative, who volunteered at the Calgary charity for about 10 years.
“This group of veterans got together and said we need to do this for ourselves. It’s veterans helping veterans as opposed to having it run by other parties. They’ve decided that they needed to step up to the plate and take ownership and support each other.”
The existing food bank, which offered assistance to current and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces, has struggled at times to provide much-needed hampers to veterans.
It’s bankrolled by donations to the legion’s Poppy Fund charity.
A legion spokesman said in July that the decision to close the food bank was made by the charity’s board members to free up funds for other services, as it seeks to provide a “more holistic” approach while addressing the financial, mental and physical issues veterans face.
But some veterans say that leaves a hole in the services they require.
“It’s more than just a food bank. It’s a community,” said Nauss.
“It’s a place for them to go, to sit down and have a coffee with someone who’s been where they ’ve been. It becomes a support network.”
Nauss said it’s important to have services specific to veterans within the community and that the new food bank would be “a place they can call their own.”
“In theory, there’s no reason why they can’t go to a (civilian) food bank, that’s what they’re there for,” he said.
“They won’t go to a food bank and ask for help if that’s taking food off of someone else’s plate. They grew up, they worked and their job was to serve and protect other people who maybe couldn’t protect themselves. They’re not going to take food off of someone else’s plate who needs that help.”
Last month’s announcement came as a surprise to the Canadian Legacy Project, an organization that supports veterans through charity and advocacy work. CEO Melanie Mitra said the Canadian Legacy Project had long supported the food bank but backed away in 2017 because it was under the impression it was well-resourced.
Mitra said the organization held a focus group two weeks ago with about 10 veterans to gain feedback on the services they feel are missing within the community.
“The next step for us would be to support something that is making sense in terms of what veterans want and need,” said Mitra, adding that the Canadian Legacy Project didn’t previously know about the new food bank initiative.
“We’ll put our support behind the option that seems to make the most sense,” Mitra said.
Nauss said the group hopes to get the food bank up and running in the next four to six weeks, before Remembrance Day. He said the location is still being finalized and plans are in place to start fundraising.