CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hundreds of volunteers packed thousands of boxes for veterans Monday ahead of Thanksgiving.
The Hendrick Auto Group donated nearly 75,000 pounds of food ranging from corn, gravy and everything in-between for a good holiday meal.
It’s become a yearly tradition.
Hendrick employees, along with volunteers from Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and the Wounded Warrior Project, took on the task to prepare the boxes for more than 3,000 local families.
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“I’m trying to help with the packing of this food. I’d thought I’d come on Veterans Day since I’m a veteran,” said Second Harvest volunteer Michael Norris.
Norris said he didn’t have anything like this program when he got out of the Army in the 70s, and he’s glad to chip in.
The food bank said more than a half-million people live in poverty in our area, and veterans are a large part of that.
“There are veterans that are at our soup kitchens, and in our pantries every day of the week and it shouldn’t be that way,” said Second Harvest CEO Kay Carter.
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Army veteran Lauren Hogan and her daughters said they volunteered because they know how it feels to need a little boost around the holidays.
“It makes you want to get to the point where you can be the one helping,” Hogan said.
The food partners with Second Harvest will help designate where the boxes should go. They are usually sent to places like churches and Title I schools.
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