BUFFALO, N.Y. — For nearly three and a half years, Chris Kreiger with WNY Heros has given our veterans a hand-up. He does it with a food drive. It's just unfortunate that on Tuesday he has to stop it.
"Now we're letting our veterans down by not being able to further sustain them through the most important time of their life when they need us most," Kreiger says.
Kreiger is the president of WNY Heroes.
On Tuesdays, WNY Heroes does a food drive for veterans and their families. Krieger says it was an instant success. They're helping nearly 1,000 veterans each week with food from Feedmore WNY. But over time, Krieger says there hasn't been as much funding from Nourish New York.
"You can't tell me that the funding is not there. It's there. It's just the matter of who going to stand up and release that funding to take care of the veterans in their counties," Kreiger says.
For the organization to continue receiving funding, it will be through the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, which will require WNY Heroes to serve everyone in need. WNY Heroes' mission is to serve veterans.
Feedmore WNY released a statement to Channel 2 regarding the drive's last day.
"WNY Heroes has been distributing produce boxes since 2020 with Nourish NY funds. They operate as a limited-access pantry with FeedMore WNY. In Sept 2022, the Dept of Health merged the HPNAP and Nourish NY programs, essentially ending the distribution of funds to any non-HPNAP program. To receive HPNAP funding, a program must be open to everyone and not limited access. We are working with WNY Heroes on solutions to keep the partnership active."
Feedmore WNY went on to say it has active food pantries and other resources immediately available to veterans in need, many within close proximity of WNY Heroes.
If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, the Find Food link on FeedMoreWNY.org can help you find a nearby panty and other resources.
There is also a link on WNY Heroes website for you to give donations. You can specify what your donation is for. Click here.