For area veterans, the Antioch Veterans Mobile Pantry can be a valuable resource in post-military life.
The service is one of the more recent additions to Antioch Consolidated Association for Youth and Family since the organization was founded in 2000. Antioch Executive Director Charolette Tidwell said the Veterans Mobile Pantry was started in January because of the number of calls Antioch was getting from veterans who lacked transportation at that point. They wanted to know if Antioch could deliver food to them rather than having them come to the Antioch food pantry to get it.
"Prior to January of this year, we just kind of spottily did it, encouraged them to find a neighbor to bring them in or pick it up for them," Tidwell said. "We got up to 250 veterans in our roster, so we decided that something needed to be done in terms of veterans. We approached the Veterans Administration staff here in Fort Smith and started the VA mobile pantry."
Tidwell said due to the volume of veterans who participate in the mobile pantry, some still receive their food boxes at the food pantry at 1122 N. 11th St. The boxes contain about 60 pounds of food, including fruit, vegetables, sources of protein and other staples.
Tidwell said she receives food for the pantry from a variety of sources, including through weekly purchases at the River Valley Regional Food Bank.
"The veterans can sign up (for the mobile pantry) right at the veteran clinic here, or they can dial us directly," Tidwell said. "It's a two-way street. They're not always at the doctor's office, so we funnel the information back to the VA and the VA funnels us the number of boxes that we are to bring."
Barbara Dooty, Housing and Urban Development/Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing coordinator for the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, said the Fort Smith VA Clinic has a partnership with Antioch to help provide the Veterans Mobile Pantry. The pantry is a monthly service, distributing food boxes to veterans on the fourth Friday of every month at noon in the parking lot of the Fort Smith VA Clinic on the corner of South 17th and South M streets. All veterans need to do to qualify for it is present their VA identification card and complete a simple registration form.
"I take calls and I talk to veterans, walk-ins, who are interested in the program," Dooty said. "As word's getting out, we're having more people have questions about the program, and then I coordinate them getting here on the day and then on time for the pantry distribution."
The VA clinic also interacts with the mobile pantry on the days it serves to a certain extent.
"We meet the pantry providers, we visit with veterans, we assist with filling out the application if needed, and just help coordinate and help our veterans," Dooty said.
Dooty said about 70 veterans are served by the Veterans Mobile Pantry at the VA clinic each month. They primarily come from Sebastian and Crawford counties, but some Oklahoma veterans partake in the pantry as well.
One area veteran who has benefited from the Veterans Mobile Pantry before is Aaron West, 25. Previously a part of the Marine Corps, he said he has utilized the pantry twice and occasionally helps support it when needed.
"(The pantry) is valuable because there are a lot of places out there that really don't help out veterans or don't even really care about us veterans," West said. "... It helps us come back and get us back on our feet and ... it gives a chance to get back and integrated with society and everything. It's a lot more than what some places do. For what we've done for this country and for other people, we're grateful for it. It helps us out a lot."
Tidwell said it is important to take care of veterans because citizens owe veterans more than what they are giving them.
"Someone who puts their life on the line for me, for Americans, I think with all of the difficulties that they have, assimilating back into the normal lifestyle after they've been through wars and all of that, just requires us as Americans to give back to them," Tidwell said.
Tidwell has expressed her desire to expand the Veterans Mobile Pantry in the future.
