PENDLETON — A small group of local veterans is lending a helping hand to aid hungry veterans.

Veterans with Pendleton’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Let’er Buck Post No. 922 gathered on Thursday, Feb. 25, to unload nearly 180 boxes of donated food for local veterans in need. The delivery, donated by the American Military Encouragement Network (AMEN), consisted of 150 nonperishable food boxes — weighing roughly 46 pounds each — and 30 USDA Farm to Families perishable food boxes.

Judith Burger, the commander of the Pendleton VFW post, was among those helping to unload and distribute the food to local veterans.

“For me personally, it’s amazing, Feeding people is one of my passions and for everybody here, knowing that this is going to go for people who need it — for veterans or their families — means a lot,” she said.

Burger said she was contacted by AMEN to help distribute food boxes throughout Eastern Oregon, as the organization recently began to expand its food distributions beyond the west side of the state.

“I’m really proud of us for being able to do it and I’m very honored that we can be this staging place,” she said.

AMEN, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, began as an outreach organization with Damascus Community Church in Damascus in 2005, according to its website. In 2019, the nonprofit distributed 2,309 food boxes, as well as providing financial support, meals and other donations to veterans and their families.

Brook Blake, whose father founded AMEN, was among a pair of volunteers delivering the food to the Pendleton VFW. Blake, an Air Force veteran, said it is a “blessing” to be able to help his fellow veterans.

“The amazing thing is if you really want help, it’s there,” he said. “Once you’ve been a soldier, you know what it’s like.”

As a show of goodwill for the generosity, Burger said the VFW donated money to AMEN to help cover the cost of transporting the food to Pendleton, and she and other members of the VFW will help to distribute food further east in the coming days and weeks.

“It’s just a matter of communicating with the veterans organizations or anyone who deals with veterans who might be needing it,” she said.

‘If we have to, I’ll find someone to deliver them’

Harold Roberts, the commander for the Hermiston VFW Desert Post 4750, said he picked up 10 boxes of nonperishable food for members of the Hermiston post and hopes to provide even more should he find additional people in need.

“I’m going to take these down to the post, contact the people that wanted them and let them know they’re available,” he said. “If we have to, I’ll find someone to deliver them.”

Roberts said he knew there was need in the community, but was unsure of how to best find people to distribute the boxes to. Roberts made a post on the VFW Facebook page and reached out to various community groups.

Through his outreach. Roberts said he received a call from Ione VFW Post 95 Commander Brian Rietmann looking to see how Ione could arrange to pick up food boxes as well. Rietmann, who picked up six boxes, said it may take some convincing to pass the help along to those in his community, but he was grateful to be able to offer it.

“I’ll probably have to fight with some of them to get them to take it,” said Rietmann. “But it helps those families that are in need.”

Roman Olivera, the director of the Student Success Center at Blue Mountain Community College, was among the first to show up and pick up food boxes for student veterans at the college. Olivera picked up seven boxes of nonperishable food and three boxes of perishable food to distribute to veterans at the college.

“To BMCC students, it is another avenue of resources to help our veterans,” he said. “It doesn’t just isolate them, it pulls us all together.”

Olivera, who works closely with veterans attending the school, said he sees being able to provide the food boxes as a way to reach out to veterans who may be struggling and unwilling to ask for help.

“From my point of view, some veterans don’t come forward and say, ‘I can use this,’” he said.

Olivera went on to add that the boxes allow him an opportunity to start building relationships with students and say, “here, we have this for you,” without requiring them to seek out the help directly.

“I am so appreciative of the VFW and AMEN for providing this to our students and to our public — our community as a whole,” he said.

Judith Burger, commander of the Pendleton VFW Let’er Buck Post No. 922, said she expects to have somewhere between 30 and 40 boxes of food remaining and said veterans and their families are welcome to contact her to arrange to pick up food boxes as supplies last. She can be reached by email at vfw922.burger@gmail.com, or by calling the VFW post at 541-278-2720.