About Uniting to Combat Hunger & Homelessness
Food insecurity, not being able to have access to enough nutritionally adequate foods to live an active and healthy life is something no one in the U.S. should have to worry about, including our nation’s service personnel, veterans and military families. In 2018, the VFW and our friends at Humana® created Uniting to Combat Hunger (UTCH) to actively address food insecurity across America with an emphasis on the military community. And we’re not stopping there as we have now added a veteran homelessness component. We are also working closely with the nonprofit Volunteers of America, one of the nation’s largest providers of affordable housing and homeless shelters. Volunteers of America is one of the nation’s largest, established comprehensive human services organizations with 15,000 mission-driven professionals, dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. Founded in 1896, the faith-based nonprofit has programs in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, serving more than 2 million people a year.
The Sad Truth
Statistics from Feeding America, the nation’s largest food bank organization, state that about 1 in 4 Afghan and Iraq war veterans are affected by food insecurity. A recent survey from Blue Star Families identified that 14% of enlisted, active-duty households reported facing difficulty putting food on the table and need to rely on food bank donations to feed their families. On any single night over 37,000 veterans are homeless in America.
Our Impact
To date, the VFW and Humana®, have provided more than 5.5 million meals for food insecure families. Since 2020, we have facilitated over 1 million meals annually!
Our Impact
VFW Posts and Auxiliaries are integral to making a positive dent in food insecurity and veteran homelessness. That's why the VFW Foundation established the Uniting to Combat Hunger & Homelessness Grant which, restricted to VFW Posts and Auxiliaries, is a matching donation grant of up to $1,500 for monetary, food or item donations to local food banks, pantries or homeless relief organizations in their communities. The VFW Foundation will provide a $1 match for every pound of food or dollar donated to food insecurity organizations. The VFW Foundation will provide a $1 match for every $1 spent purchasing qualified items to donate to a homeless shelter or a $1 match for every $1 donated to a homeless relief organization. A minimum of 500 pounds or $500 must be met each time you are submitting an application in order to qualify. Applications from a VFW Post must be submitted on the Dashboard. VFW Auxiliaries applying for a VFW UTCH Grant can find the application here once the application period opens. Please note, funds are not provided to VFW Posts or Auxiliaries. If approved, funds are submitted to the donation location listed on the application.
For more details on the UTCH Grant or to apply, visit vfwfoundation.org/Grants.
For more information about UTCH, please contact the VFW Foundation at foundation@vfw.org.