On February 29, 2020, Tirey J. Ford American Legion Post 21 in Independence, Mo., celebrated the opening of a food pantry dedicated to helping active duty military and veterans in the area.
A few weeks later, the nation, and much of the world, shut down. The coronavirus pandemic has closed schools and businesses, limited social interaction and created a desperate situation for people who are immune-compromised or suddenly out of work.
But at Post 21, the drive-thru food pantry continues. On the last Saturday of every month since it opened – except for one month – the post Legion family has helped people facing food insecurity.
Adjutant Tom Tanner said Post 21 was contacted by H.E.R.O.E.S. Humanities and Studies in St. Louis about hosting the food pantry after another local has closed. According to its website, H.E.R.O.E.S. Care is a “collaborative effort among established non-governmental organizations designed to provide comprehensive and proactive support to members of all military branches and their families through pre-deployment, deployment, family reintegration and post-deployment.
“The National Guard armory (in Independence) runs a food pantry, but because of security constraints and all that, they were forced to leave,” post 21 Adjutant Tom Tanner said. “(A H.E.R.O.E.S. Care representative) came down and talked about the pantry, and he said, ‘We’re really looking for a place to have one.’
“Myself and (post commander Mark Clark) looked at each other and said, ‘This is really a no-brainer. This is just another way for us to help veterans. So, we took on the project. It’s a good thing, and it shows that we care about our own family.”
H.E.R.O.E.S. Care provides some funds to stock the pantry. Post 21 also works with Kansas City-based Harvesters, a member of the Feed America network that provides food and related household products to more than 760 nonprofit agencies. And Tanner said that in addition to community members donating to the program, Family Legion Post 21 has also been very generous in providing financial assistance.
The food pantry provides times mainly non-perishable because of storage limitations, although Tanner said occasionally they have fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as some frozen items. And during the holiday season last year, the post was able to buy turkeys and chickens for distribution.
Although the pantry hours are technically from 8:30-10:30 am on the last Saturday of the month, the food aid is not removed until that day. “If I get a family that comes in and says, ‘I’m hungry. I need help,’ I’ll open up and give them a box of food,” Tanner said. “We always have things ready for the pantry next month.”
Just once a month since the food pantry opened, the post has been out of action — when too many members of the post’s Legion families have contracted COVID-19. Tanner said the post saw demand start to rise at the start of the pandemic, but has now declined. About 30 families show up each month to pick up items from the pantry.
“We’re trying to reach out and get more,” Tanner said. “We know there are other veterans who need help. And your active-duty guys, they won’t admit they need help. They sure won’t admit it in front of their teammates.”
Tanner said it only took the opening to see the impact the postal food pantry would make. “One of the boys came to our grand opening,” he said. “Man is very humble. He didn’t like to ask for help, and he flatly admitted that. But he said, ‘I’m in a situation where I just can’t get food.’ So, what we can give them, we know it helps people.
