The personnel at Camp Dawson in Preston County, along with nearly 200 cadets in the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy have joined with the North Central West Virginia Joining Community Forces to help comfort veterans traveling to Pittsburgh for testing at the VA hospital.

 

The two organizations are collecting food and drink items that will be donated to the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg for its Brown Bags for Veterans program. The Brown Bags initiative provides non-perishable food items for those veterans traveling from the Clarksburg hospital to the Pittsburgh hospital for testing and procedures not available at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center.

 

Because fasting is often required prior to the medical appointment in Pittsburgh and because of the travel schedule of the bus transporting the veterans, those patients often do not have the time nor opportunity to find a meal before having to leave for the return trip to Clarksburg. Having to wait that extra time before eating can often lead to medical issues. The Brown Bags for Veterans program provides the needed food and water for the veteran’s return trip to Clarksburg.

 

Retired Lt. Col. Joel Miltenberger helped to launch this project with the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy cadets, who will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Brown Bags program.  Additionally, a local Pepsi distributor helped kick off the partnership by providing 24 cases of water for the Brown Bags program.

 

The Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center goes through as many as 250 Brown Bags per week because of the travel schedule to the Pittsburgh VA hospital. The Brown Bags project, started several months ago by the North Central West Virginia Joining Community Forces organization, helps to provide the needed snack items to veterans. Since its inception, many civic-minded organizations, individuals, and churches have provided items for the VA to use on these trips.

 

For those groups or individuals wishing to contribute to the Brown Bags for Veterans effort, please contact West Virginia University Extension Agent Becky Smith at 304-624-8650.