- The 476 Fighter Group of Moody Air Force Base gave away Thanksgiving meals to their fellow vets.
- The Thanksgiving giveaway was brought back after being put on pause by COVID-19.
- Watch the video to see how these veterans are also tackling holiday food insecurity.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
With the rising cost of food, it's looking to be an expensive Thanksgiving for local veterans.
"Food insecurity is happening, so to do Thanksgiving, this is a time that a lot of people go hungry."
I'm Malia Thomas, in Valdosta. I'm visiting this group of veterans who are serving their community in a different way.
"Not a lot of people get a chance to put this uniform on, and I want to give back, totally."
Meet Master Sgt. Lauren Camarena. She's a part of the 476 Fighter Group affiliated with Moody Air Force Base.
She is volunteering for Vanguard to Vets, a Thanksgiving meal giveaway.
I asked her what's behind the mission.
"Food insecurity is not knowing where your next meal is coming from, and a lot of people deal with that."
This doesn't affect just veterans.
"Most veterans have grandkids in their house and other family members, so giving them a whole meal gives them at least one guaranteed meal."
I checked with the RAND Corporation, a global research institute.
Fourteen percent of active-duty service members classified as "food insecure" reported using food assistance. According to Second Harvest of South Georgia, one in four children in the region are food insecure as well.
I also spoke with Colonel Brett Waring, the commander of 476. He tells me since so many in the region go hungry, meal giveaways are especially important.
"We live in the local area, we choose to be assigned here, whether its the South Georgia area, North Florida. This is home, so its not just living in the community but being in the community."
Master Sgt. Camarena agrees.
She told me the best part was, "seeing the vet's faces light up when they came through the parking lot."
Vanguard for Vets already gave away nearly 80 meals to local vets.
