For their VFW Day of Service in May 2023, VFW Post 1533 members in San Antonio split their time into two volunteer sessions at the San Antonio Food Bank.
Members of VFW Post 1533 and its Auxiliary in San Antonio sort and pack potatoes in the San Antonio Food Bank’s warehouse during their VFW Day of Service in May 2023. Photo courtesy of VFW Post 1533.A cohort of 18 Post members spent more than three hours apiece on May 16 and May 19, respectively, working out of the San Antonio Food Bank’s warehouse sorting and packing food for those suffering from food insecurity.
“Our Day of Service was spent in a warehouse working with fellow volunteers from across our community who were equally committed to fighting hunger,” VFW Post 1533 Judge Advocate General Suzzie Thomas said. “By luck and good fortune, we were joined by high school students, volunteers from USAA and a large group of Navy chiefs.”
VFW Post 1533 also donated $500 to the Food Bank, helping provide more 3,500 meals for the community, an additional token of their mission.
“VFW’s Day of Service is about perspective and team work,” Thomas said. “We can all get caught up in our daily grind and life’s challenges, so it is important to make the time and have a reason to come together as a team to make a positive impact.”
Despite their efforts during the 2023 Day of Service, Post 1533 members went beyond the month of May and remained involved with the Food Bank throughout the summer. In July, they also hosted a food and pet drive at their Post, donating an additional 1,072 food items to the San Antonio Food Bank.