Jordan Beck | Daily Press From right, Community Foundation for Delta County Executive Director and CEO Cheryl Andzejewski and Escanaba Vet Center Outreach Specialist Ken Milam give food to Army veteran Tom Simmons Wednesday morning. In response to COVID-19, the Community Foundation for Delta County expanded its food basket program — which has been supplying veterans with Thanksgiving meals for several years — to provide another holiday basket for the Fourth of July.

ESCANABA — The Community Foundation for Delta County has collaborated with local organizations to help supply needy Delta County veterans with Fourth of July food baskets, according to Cheryl Andzejewski, executive director, Bob VanDamme, board chair and Ken Gartland, board member

“The Community Foundation for Delta feels strongly about helping our Veterans who have given so much for the freedom we all enjoy and take for granted. We have worked with the Veterans Affair Office in Escanaba for several years to help ease the stress of Delta County Veterans during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays by providing food baskets,” Andzejewski said.

“As we continued to talk with the Delta County Veterans Affair Office we found out that many Delta County Veterans struggle throughout the year to provide food for themselves and their families,” said Gartland.

“The Community Foundation and its board of trustees have started a Delta County Veterans Fund, held at the community foundation”, said VanDamme. “We are asking people and organization’ for a monetary donation to help in our efforts to ease the stress of needy Delta County Veterans and their families. The community foundation would like to offer needy Veterans Easter Food Baskets, as well as during the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays.”

“Our collaboration with the Delta County Veterans Affair Office and local organizations in Escanaba works beautifully”, said Andzejewski. “The Veterans Affair Office provides us with the number of needy Veterans, we then work with local organizations to purchase food items at the best possible price, the organizations assemble the food baskets and we pick them up and they are distributed to the Veterans.”

Some organizations donate food items and or gift cards. For instance, Bink’s Coca Cola donated 80-2 liter bottles of each Coke and Lemonade; Walmart donated all the onions and apple pies, Meijer donated jello and a gift card and Thrivent – Action Team Members; Sarah Franks; Donald Franks; Connie Mayville and Alexandra Pahnke donated VISA gift cards as well to go toward the expense of the Veterans Fourth of July Food Baskets.

Ken Milam, veteran outreach program specialist, expressed his gratitude, on behalf of Delta County Veterans, to the Community Foundation for Delta County and the organizations for helping veterans.

If you are interested in making a donation, call 906-786-6654 or mail checks to CFFDC- Veterans Fund at 2420 1st Avenue South Escanaba, Michigan 49829.