In October, VFW Post 12218 in Haymarket, Va., received a call from Steve Hood, a member of VFW Post 1177 in Leesburg, Virginia, and member of the Military Order of the Cootie, asking for help: The food pantry at the Martinsburg Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia, was running short on food.
The clinic, which hands out bags of food to veterans in need, required donations of specific food items to be stored in each individual bag.
VFW Post 12218 Senior Vice Commander Mike Jeffery, VFW hat pictured left of center, and Post Quartermaster Tarah Jeffery, VFW hat pictured right of center, join Martinsburg Veteran Affairs Medical Center staff members in transporting food donations to the clinic in Martinsburg, Virginia, in October. The Post managed to collect 1,300 pounds of food for the clinic, along with an extra $500. Post 12218 Senior Vice Commander Mike Jeffery began to spread the word to members of the Post, followed by advertising around his neighborhood and social media outreach, asking if anyone had any extra food to spare.
However, it was after creating an Amazon link to a specific list of foods that the clinic requested when Jeffery saw a huge influx of food to the Post.
“Mike made sure we stuck with the specific items the clinic was asking for when asking for donations,” Post Quartermaster Tarah Jeffery said.
The Post also received monetary donations, which went towards shopping trips to Aldi and Dollar Tree to help maximize the food collection.
“Mike was very careful with the money and knew how to stretch the dollars,” Jeffery said. “We filled up our living and dining room full of food mostly from Amazon and Aldi.”
The Post was able to collect a total of 1,300 pounds of food for the Martinsburg Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Post member Bill Keys also raised another $500 to help provide a “cushion” for the medical center, in case of possible food insecurity in the future.
“As a relatively new Post in the community, it’s crucial for us to connect with local residents and demonstrate our commitment to providing the most effective support possible,” added Jeffery.
This article is featured in the 2025 November issue of Checkpoint. If you’re a VFW member and don’t currently receive the VFW Checkpoint, please contact VFW magazine at magazine@vfw.org.
Dining and Cooking