Program seeks to serve Saline County veterans
SALINE COUNTY - The Christian Community Compassion Center's (4C's) Food Pantry in Harrisburg is partnering with Reaching Rural Veterans, a Purdue University-based effort that connects low-income, homeless and low-resource rural veterans in Saline County with affordable housing, health care and other resources.
Reaching Rural Veterans events take place on the last Monday of every month, with the next event scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 28.
Through support from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Purdue's Military Family Research Institute is collaborating on Reaching Rural Veterans in the state with University of Illinois Extension offices and faith-based food pantries in Saline and four other counties. Each food pantry is receiving grants, education and assistance to help them mobilize local resources for military and veteran families.
Roughly one-third of all veterans live in rural areas and are often less likely to have access to needed services than those in urban areas. Reaching Rural Veterans events provide opportunities to thank veterans for their service while also helping them find needed resources close to home, said Rena Sterrett, senior program administration specialist with MFRI.
To identify counties that could most benefit from the initiative, Sterrett and her colleagues at MFRI worked with representatives of Illinois Extension. After choosing five rural counties with relatively high numbers of veterans, Extension staff also located potential partner food pantries.
"Illinois Extension was a valuable partner in helping target counties that could most benefit from the program because of their intimate knowledge of the state," Sterrett said.
As part of the grant process, MFRI representatives are educating food pantry staff and volunteers about the strengths and struggles of military and veteran families and helping them recruit military-connected organizations to participate in pantry events. Ultimately, Sterrett said, she hopes to reach 50 veterans in each of the participating pantries - a goal that will require coordination among area partners.
"Addressing a community's needs for food, shelter and employment is an important step in establishing stronger bonds between local organizations and the military and veteran populations," Sterrett said.
Participating organizations in Saline County include the Southern Illinois Center for Independent Living, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, University of Illinois Extension, MERS Missouri Goodwill Industries, and the Southern Illinois Coalition for the Homeless.