Orange County Department of Social Services, in conjunction with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and the Gary Sinise Foundation, will hold a food distribution for veterans and active duty military and spouses residing in Orange County and surrounding counties.
The event will be held on Wednesday, May 13th at Cedar Ridge High School and begin at 11:30 a.m. A limit of one box per household and two households per car will be implemented to ensure food can be distributed to as many as possible.
Residents will be required to present one of the following as proof of current or previous military service:
- DOD ID,
- VA Healthcare ID,
- NC ID/ Driver’s License, or
- DD214
The event will allow residents to pick up their food while remaining in their vehicles via drive-thru service as staff members will be putting boxes directly into their trunks.
“What makes this food distribution special is that it’s being put together to help our Veterans specifically. It was a grassroots process that came together by connecting with different organizations that share the mission in serving our fellow Veterans. There’s nothing better than Veterans helping Veterans and this is why we do it,” said Ivan Sarabia, Veteran Services Officer for Orange County.
To ensure the safety of everyone involved, a full range of protective measures will be taken, including staff members wearing gloves and masks. To assist in these efforts, residents will be asked to stay in vehicles, ensure trunks are empty, and arrive no more than an hour before the 11:30 a.m. start time.
Numerous food distributions have taken place in Orange County to meet the needs of those impacted by the health pandemic; however, none have been targeted towards veterans and military service members.