WILL COUNTY, sick. – A 60 acre farm in manhattan, illinoisoperates as a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to provide our nation’s veterans with the freshest food available, completely free of charge.

“Everything we produce on the farm is donated to veterans in need locally in the community and now in eight states,” said Michelle Keller, community development director for Farm2Veteran.

With one in nine veterans experiencing food insecurity, Farm2Veteran supplies meat and eggs to veterans living in food deserts or those who may have difficulty reaching markets due to mobility or other challenges.

“These veterans get it directly from our farm, our farm managers drive to their homes and provide them with these eggs, and they have the best nutrition available so they can face whatever they need to face,” said Sarah Zurales, senior director of development. .

One of the farmers, who also serves as a delivery driver, is Michael Vega, known throughout Will County simply as “The Egg Man.”

“I think thanks to this shot we get about 170 eggs a day or something like that,” Vega said.

Farm2Veteran has only been in the business of feeding veterans for a few years, but it has already made a profound difference for those who risked their lives for our country.

“I recently had a veteran tell me that he enlisted at 17 for the Vietnam War, and now it’s 55 years later. He has heart problems, COPD, back problems. He really needs to limit his sodium intake, he needs to eat nutritious, and he said, ‘I learned how to make eggs. I never knew how to make them and now I can make them any way you want, and I love it, and I’m so grateful to you!'” Zurales said.

In its first year, Farm2Veteran provided 15,000 farm-fresh meals. This year, they are on track to deliver 150,000, with plans to expand in the near future.