San Luis Obispo County’s Veterans Services Office has started up a new food pantry catering to local veterans and put together by veterans incarcerated at the California Men’s Colony, the County announced.
“The pantry,” County Administrative Services Officer for the Veterans Services Office, Chris Emert, said in a news release, “will be located outside the Veterans Services Office on Grand Avenue [in SLO] during normal working hours. The food pantry will be open to the veteran community who need non-perishable food for themselves and their families.”
Veterans in CMC organized and collected food donated from other inmates at the Men’s Colony, Emert said.
Morgan Boyd, the SLO County Veterans Services Officer said, “The San Luis Obispo Veterans Services Office is proud to partner with the Veterans in The California Men’s Colony to address food insecurities of our community’s veterans. Furthermore, we hope that the program will provide veterans in the California Men’s Colony with a sense of selfless services, something that I hope carries on with them once they are reintegrated into the community.”
Emert said the CMC veterans organized the drive and recruited other inmates in the Men’s Colony to purchase non-perishable food items from a list of items available at the commissary.
The chosen items were then purchased and collected by correctional officers who coordinated with the vVeterans Services Office.
Michael Schacherer, a County Veterans Services Representative who works with justice-involved veterans with clients at CMC said the Veterans Services Office “appreciates the efforts and sacrifice from the veterans in the California Men’s Colony. The selfless attitude from my clients to continue to serve their fellow veterans is priceless.”
Overall, approximately 160 pounds of food was collected and donated.
For more information or to donate: call Emert at 805-781-5766 or email: slovets@co.slo.ca.us.
