To the editor:

In 2018, the VFW joined forces with Humana to establish the Uniting for Hunger Campaign. As of October 2024, the initiative has raised the equivalent of more than 4.5 million meals to address food insecurity in America. In the 2024-2025 year, we expanded the program in support of an additional underserved veteran population: veterans experiencing homelessness.

This year, 2025-2026, the grant was renamed as it has expanded from its original purpose of helping to address food insecurity in the local veteran communities. VFW is proud to work with Volunteers of America, which has been helping to address homelessness for more than a century through programmatic solutions.

To help support VFW Posts and Auxiliaries address food insecurity and homelessness in their communities, the VFW Foundation has created the Uniting For Veterans Grant. This grant is a matching grant based on the following:

– 1 point ($) will be awarded for each pound of food donated.

– 1 point (4) will be awarded for each $1 donated.

The applicant organization, a VFW Post or Auxiliary, may receive between $500-$1,500 during the grant cycle. Last year, the VFW Auxiliary Post 3357 received the full $1,500 from food collected and monetary donations made. We hope to meet that amount again this year.

Food baskets with our signs will be placed at the following local businesses in our area: Coakley’s, Kinney Drugs, Romanos, Vets Club, Walgreens, Tri-Lakes Credit Union, Adult Center, Bitters and Bones, Shamrock, Cavu Cafe, American Legion Post 326 Lake Placid, NBT Bank, Hex and Hops and Raybrook Brewery.

We will also be hand-delivering letters asking for help to other local businesses. If you choose to donate money to a local food pantry, kindly let us know who you are, the amount of money you donated and the name of the food pantry, so we will be able to take advantage of the “$1 match for every dollar donated” from the grant to continue our work supporting our veterans.

For more information, contact bjs3835@verizon.net.

Barbara Skiff

Saranac Lake