Veterans Potato Feed
2nd Annual Veterans Day Potato Feed: SERVICE - Honoring Our Heroes
Please join us at the 2nd Annual Veterans Day Potato Feed on Friday, November 10th, 2023. This event is a tribute to the courageous men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting our nation, and it aligns perfectly with the Department of Veterans theme for Veterans Day 2023: "Service." In the spirit of honoring service, our event will be a special evening filled with gratitude, respect, and camaraderie. We have a fantastic lineup of activities to pay tribute to the selfless service of our veterans.
Event Details:
Date: Friday, November 10th
Location: Lifespring Church, 174 N Star Road
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Event Highlights:
Pep Rally Honoring All Branches: Join us for a unique and inspiring pep rally celebrating all branches of the military. The American Heritage Girls have handcrafted buttons for each branch, and veterans will receive one pin of their branch for free. You can also purchase all the pins as a fundraiser to support these dedicated girls.
Delicious Baked Potatoes: Veterans will be treated to a loaded baked potato for free as a small token of our appreciation. For others, the meal is available for just $5, and if you're feeling generous towards homeless veterans, we'd greatly appreciate your additional contribution or item from the list below.
Program Schedule:
6:00 PM - Doors Open
6:30 PM - Program Begins
- Honor Guard presentation by the American Heritage Girls
- Pledge of Allegiance
- National Anthem by American Legion Post 39 Commander, Fred Webb
- MIA/POW Ceremony
- Invocation
- Opening Remarks by Mayor Chadwick
- Pep rally showcasing each branch of the military with their respective flags, playing their songs, sharing a brief history, and acknowledging the brave individuals from each branch in our audience
7:00 PM - Social Time - After the program, we encourage everyone to mingle, share stories, and connect with our veterans, community members, and veteran service organizations.
7:45 PM - Wrap Up - we will conclude the event with the American Heritage Girls singing the Idaho State song, "Here We Have Idaho," and a Benediction.
Sponsors or Vendors
If you are interested in sponsoring the event or hosting a booth that shares information on service organizations that serves veterans, please contact dpartridge@staridaho.org.
Support Homeless Veterans
All proceeds from the event will be dedicated to helping homeless veterans through the food pantry at the Boise VA Medical Center. Your presence and contributions at this event will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who have served our nation.
The Food Pantry at the Boise VA Medical Center provides food to Veterans on a daily basis, and with the current state of the economy the demand continues to increase. There are weeks that their small pantry hands out over 30 bags of food. They assist homeless Veterans, but most of their food goes to low- or fixed-income Veterans. Many have come to rely on the pantry, and new families are reaching out every day due to increased financial hardships. Below is a list of items that they regularly stock. They try to provide Veterans with three meals and a few snacks, but it depends on what donations they have on hand. Most of the food is donated, but they are also able to purchase food with donated. With winter coming, they anticipate additional resources will be needed to meet our Veteran’s needs.
| Canned Tuna | Cereal |
| Canned Chicken | Oatmeal |
| Canned Fruit | Protein Bars |
| Beef Stew | Frozen Meals |
| Apple Sauce | Meat |
| Spaghetti Noodles & Sauce | Peanut Butter |
| Spam | Instant Rice |
| Chili | Mac & Cheese |
| Hamburger Helper | Individual bags of: |
| Chunky Soups | Chips |
| Pudding Cups | Granola Bars |
| Protein Drinks | Fruit Snacks |
| Spaghetti O's | Snack Mix |
| Ravioli | Nuts |
They also accept Winco and Albertsons cards so families can get bread, milk, butter, cheese etc. Monetary donations are deposited into the pantry’s Crisis Fund and used to help Veterans with urgent needs. These funds are used to pay for gas cards, food cards, food for the pantry, etc.
