newsheaven

As inflation increases the demand for food aid, organizations providing support are struggling with tightening financial constraints themselves. Leaders with Metro Meals on Wheels visited the Minnesota Capitol on Wednesday to make the case for renewing a pilot program that has served 28,000 hot meals in the past 18 months to veterans who otherwise wouldn't qualify for support. "We recognize that difficult choices lie ahead in the coming few weeks, yet I implore you to consider our senior citizens who have dedicated their lives and are currently grappling with higher expenses related to housing, health care, and sustenance," stated Patrick Rowan, Executive Director of Metro Meals on Wheels. Rowan appeared before the Minnesota House Veterans and Military Affairs Division Committee, which is evaluating whether to prolong the pilot project. This initiative garnered bipartisan backing along with almost $1 million in financing aimed at providing daily meals for appr...

Fifty years since the end of the Vietnam War, the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs ensures an annual event takes place to honor nearby Vietnam veterans. Within the walls of the Gold Star Families Memorial Auditorium at the Veterans Home in Rocky Hill, the venue was brimming with people aiming to honor local Vietnam veterans – many of whom had felt underappreciated upon their return from the conflict half a century earlier. Ron Welch, a former Brigadier General who currently serves as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, stated, "This is an enormous day; we're honoring our Vietnam War veterans, acknowledging their contributions, and recognizing the sacrifices made by them and their families. More than 58,000 individuals gave everything, including 614 servicemen and women from Connecticut." He further emphasized, "They are truly our heroes." Jerry Augustine, a retired Army combat veteran from Middletown who s...