Heather Bell
Vittles for Vets, a Radford-based non-profit corporation that provides food gift cards to veterans who rely on food pantries and soup kitchens, is teaming up with local artisan fudge maker Blue Ridge Fudge in a delicious new fundraiser for Valentine’s Day.
The Vittles for Vets charity is currently servicing about 90 veterans and their families assisting their food and nutritional needs. The annual cost per veteran per year is $2600.
“We have partnered with Robin Burdette, owner of The Blue Ridge Fudge Lady and a veteran herself for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser for Vittles for Vets,” said Donna Salmons of Vittles for Vets. “Get ready to treat your sweetie for Valentine’s Day and support our efforts at Vittles for Vets at the same time.
“Her fudge, which is absolutely fantastic, will go down guilt free when you know your purchase is going to such a good cause,” Salmons said. “In fact, a whopping 25% of sales will go to the Vittles for Vets’ Grocery Card Program, which issues weekly gift cards to purchase healthy food for veterans in Southwest Virginia struggling with food insecurity.”
To participate in the fundraiser, online orders can be placed through February 5 and shipped for an additional fee anywhere in the US at: https://vittlesforvets.fudgelady.com/. Local orders (within 30 minutes of Pulaski County) can be placed online or with Lee Wolfe at mikeandleewolfe@yahoo.com and will be delivered by February 14.
Vittles for Vets is also working on another fundraiser, a Vittles for Vets cookbook titled “Mess Hall Favorites,” and recipes are being sought for the book.
“We are excited to announce that Vittles is working on collecting recipes from our volunteers, veterans and those who wish to honor a special veteran in their lives,” the charity has announced. “Once published, this cookbook will feature delicious dishes and stories from those who have served and their loved ones. Anyone may contribute a recipe and a story in honor of a veteran who has made an impact in their lives. There is no fee to feature a beloved veteran in the cookbook.
To contribute a recipe or to pre-order a Vittles for Vets Cookbook, contact Salmons at Vittlesrecipes@hotmail.com.
“We are hoping to have it for sale around Mother’s day and are needing recipes,” said Salmons. “Anyone can donate a recipe(s), but we are encouraging people to do so in honor or memory of a special veteran in their life. In the cookbook, along with the recipe, will be printed that dedication of the veteran’s name and branch of service. Recipes can be emailed to vittlesrecipes@hotmail.com or given to any Vittles for Vets volunteer.”
“For a small charity like Vittles, our goals are ambitious indeed, but we refuse to turn any qualified veteran away. That is where the “catch 22” comes into play,” organizers say on the Vittles Facebook page. “[We] want to provide this service to as many veterans as possible, but in order to be successful and grow, the Vittles charity is totally dependent on the kindness and generosity of the community as a whole. It is only through your generosity this charity will be able to provide and grow.”
