San Luis Obispo County Veterans Services has worked to combat food insecurity throughout the county, running a veterans' food pantry for the past two years.
Morgan Boyd, San Luis Obispo County Veterans Services Officer, said the pantry was co-created with veterans from the California Men’s Colony in an effort to help struggling vets.
Boyd said between 10 to 15 families visit the pantry each week.
“We find that a lot of veterans in our community are food insecure. They do need a little bit of assistance,” Boyd said.
JonPaul Bockman, Commander of VFW Post #2814 in Atascadero, recently joined in the county’s efforts, donating $400 collected by the post.
“That’s what the post does. We provide assistance for veterans and their families,” Bockman said.
He said it’s common for vets like himself to fall on hard times after serving their country.
“Luckily, gratefully, now I’m not in that position but [I] always want to give back because this is a common theme among veterans who come back from service. Sometimes the transition is difficult and they need something to help them out,” Bockman said.
While the Veteran Food Pantry was created with veterans in mind, anyone in need is welcome to use it.
Atascadero’s VFW Post #2814 has some food resources for veterans too, and accepts nonperishable donations from the community.
The locations of both facilities are listed below:
- Veterans Services Office - Food Pantry (San Luis Obispo): 801 Grand Ave.
- VFW Post #2814 (Atascadero): 9555 Morro Rd.
