There’s a new effort underway to make sure our heroes have food to eat. 

Food insecurity knows no boundaries — impacting all walks of life, including those who have sacrificed their lives for ours.

“I can’t sleep at night thinking that there are thousands of veterans in Minnesota [that] don’t have enough food. That bothers me,” Tom Lyons, chairman of the nonprofit MN Veteran Food Pantry, said. 

Lyon’s nonprofit now serves as a key fundraising platform for the Minneapolis VA’s ‘pop-up food pantry,’ an event that’s been held once a month since May of last year. 

“However much food they need, we’ll find a way to raise funds to pay for it,” Lyons said. 

A Vietnam War veteran himself, Lyons understands the difficulty some veterans have with seeking help — he says the VA is the ideal place for a food pantry as it’s a safe space for veterans. 

“Veterans are proud. [They] don’t want to ask for help. That’s the history of it. But they also have learned to rely on the VA to get help when they need it,” Lyons added. 

For now, the pop-up food pantry is only being held at the Minneapolis VA — happening every third Tuesday of the month, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until supplies run out. Other resources are also there for veterans to learn about that address their physical and mental health, among other things. 

“There’s a high need,” director of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Pat Kelly, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS about food insecurity. 

“There’s a great opportunity, because we have partners who can help us to resource this, and we have a staff committed to doing this,” Kelly said about the hopes of expanding the pop-ups. 

Specifically, Kelly said they’d like to set up similar systems at the 14 outpatient clinics across the state — especially important seeing how it’s more difficult for veterans who live in rural areas to access support. 

“I think this is going to be a very big year for food pantry in the state of Minnesota, for veterans,” Kelly said. 

According to their research, Lyon’s nonprofit found that as many as 11% of Minnesota veterans are experiencing food insecurity. With about 300,000 veterans, that’s 11,000 veterans — but, the VA says following national trends, that number is likely much higher.

One Army National Guard veteran, Ashley Milz, understands the challenge well. 

“I’m just one of those people that, you know, it struck, and it struck hard,” Milz said about her struggles.

“I’ll go without food to make sure that my son eats,” Milz said. “And, I know that there are other veterans out there that will do the exact same thing. They will go without food, or they’ll eat like birds to make sure that their children eat.”

Milz was pleased to learn more about the pop-up pantries and hopeful for the expansion. 

“I know that I’m not the only one in the same boat,” Milz said. “I believe that each and every veteran deserves nothing but, you know, everything that society can afford to us.”