FALL RIVER — For the past five years, the Veterans Kitchen has provided free lunch and a place to socialize for local residents who served their country and their friends and family, first at the Corky Row Club and more recently at Blessed Trinity Church . .
The all-volunteer Veterans Kitchen, which started in 2019, is now taking a new step in its service to veterans with a new home in the large space of the Liberal Club on Star Street.
“It's exciting, very exciting,” said Dawn Trahan, director and one of the founders of Veteran's Kitchen.
“It's the next chapter. It's like turning a page,” said Andy Godu, a veteran and active Veteran's Kitchen volunteer. “We will not turn anyone away.”
“We're not going to let anyone go hungry,” said volunteer Doreen Bain.
“They're like my family”:This Fall River nonprofit cooks lunch for veterans every week
How the Veterans Kitchen and Liberal Club work together
The Veterans Kitchen prepares meals for 100 people every Wednesday.
Kevin Palmer, former Liberal Club president and organizer of the annual Liberal Club Feast of the Holy Spirit, said the club facility is ideal for a Veterans Kitchen with ample parking and handicapped accessibility. He said that.
Palmer said Holy Spirit Celebration is also partnering with the Veterans Kitchen, providing the volunteer group with space to store equipment in the pavilion.
“They have a freezer over there and they cook here,” Palmer said. “The church performed electrical work and replaced the locks to allow access.”
Liberal Club board member David Seal said there are already discussions about donating space at the facility so the Veterans Kitchen can host fundraisers.
“They can take over a hall for a night and have some kind of party where they can funnel money into veterans' kitchens. That way they have more capital and they can go somewhere in the city have their own space,” said Shea.
Trahan and volunteers are working on the transition from the church to the Liberal Club, which is expected to be completed next Wednesday.
Veterans Kitchen will have its grand opening on May 8th at the Liberal Club.
The Veterans Kitchen's goal is to one day own its own building to serve veterans, but Sue Nedal, the female chairwoman of the Kitchen's board of directors, said she, like the Corky Rowe Club, is a liberal・He said that the people at the club were also very kind. For about four years now, Pastor Robert M. Nemkovic has been at Blessed Trinity for the past nine months.
Nedar said the partnership with the Liberal Club was made possible thanks to one of its members, 99-year-old World War II veteran Manny Carvalho, who frequently attends the Veterans Kitchen Wednesday luncheon. He is said to be participating in the
“The Liberal Club loves Manny, and Manny loves the Veterans Kitchen. That's really how it happened,” Nedar said. “The members of the Liberal Club and their board of directors really do a lot to help veterans, including but not limited to donating food to the kitchen.”
Nedar said the organization is grateful for the generosity shown by the Corky Row Club and Blessed Trinity Church over the past five years.
How it all started:Fall River's new Veterans Kitchen offers free meals to those who serve
Veteran's Kitchen has evolved since its founding.
Trahan and volunteers started Veterans Kitchen at the Corky Row Club in October 2019.
When COVID-19 hit a few months later, the organization pivoted and began offering takeout for veterans and their families until the pandemic was over.
Trahan said the Veterans Kitchen was initially funded primarily by volunteers until word spread about the organization's mission to provide meals to veterans. Then donations started coming in to help run the program.
Nedar said he helped state Rep. Alan Sylvia secure a $25,000 allocation to help the kitchen, and the City Council recently allocated $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding.
Trahan said the funding has helped the Veterans Kitchen provide healthier, higher-quality food for weekly lunches.
Trahan said what the Veterans Kitchen needs now is “funds to fill the freezer once the move is complete.”
“Gift cards are very helpful, so you can go buy what you really need,” Trahan said. “It’s almost like starting over.”
Volunteers who moved into the new space recently had to make expensive purchases, including a new convection oven and stainless steel tables.
“We spent a large portion of our budget,” Trahan said.
To donate to the Veterans Kitchen, contact Trahan at 774-526-0611.
