MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Tuesday was delivery and distribution day at Valor Clinic Foundation near Jonas. Boxes filled with everything for an Easter dinner were packed into cars. They're going to veterans and their families in need this holiday.
Jen Green from Wilson has been volunteering with Valor for more than a decade. Delivering holiday meal boxes is one of her favorite things to do.
"It's kind of emotional. There are some vets that don't want to be seen, and we call it 'ding-dong dash' for a reason. You know, sometimes they don't want to be seen, or they don't want to really know that they're getting help, so we respect that. We'll run up and deliver the meals and ring the doorbell and leave," said Green.
Valor Clinic Foundation helps veterans get back on their feet.
This Easter, the organization is feeding more than 450 families, 100 more than last year.
"Why should we let them pick between paying the electric bill or celebrating a holiday?" said Valor Clinic founder Mark Baylis.
Baylis says it's expensive to put on a holiday meal drive like this.
"The amount of food that goes out we estimate at $250 a family. That's a lot of food. Do it times 477 families; it was just about $120,000 of food going to go out of here in three days," Baylis said.
Potatoes, carrots, rice — all of the items in the boxes will feed a vet and their family for a couple of days, but none of it would be possible without donations from the community.
"We live and die on community support, grassroots support, and it is both our blessing and our curse because the community comes out and they see what their stuff is doing, they get involved," Baylis said. "We love it."
Current volunteers say it's easy to get involved.
"You can physically come here and help. You can do the clothes sorting. You can do the stand-downs. You can do the millions of events they have throughout the year," Green said.
More than 40 volunteers delivered meal boxes to people in the Poconos and across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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