Staying Connected with a Veteran in Queens

On June 10th,  Queens Borough President Donovan Richards joined the God’s Love We Deliver team to make a special delivery to U.S. Army Veteran and God’s Love client, Catherine. Catherine receives home-delivered Medically Tailored Meals through the God’s Love We Deliver Connected program, which provides U.S. Military Veterans with food and nutrition services, Veteran-specific wellness education, and connections to peers. During this delivery, Catherine not only received her weekly meals, but it was also her birthday, so she received a birthday cake! Customized birthday cakes are one of many unique ways that we share love with our clients.

God’s Love established the Connected program in 2022 to honor U.S. Military Veterans with a specialized service. It is our pleasure to serve and learn about the lives of our clients who are Veterans. This delivery provided that very opportunity. When Catherine was asked about how she felt joining the Army. She replied, “I knew I wanted to be in the Army since I was 14, before I had kids. I joined at 22 because I knew I could take care of my kids and myself that way. I just always knew I had to join.” Catherine joined the Army in 1977 and had a successful career rooted in healthcare. Following basic training in South Carolina, she was stationed in Texas, where she received training as a health aid. She later became a Registered Nurse. Her career brought her back to New York, where she served at Fort Totten, now a historic district, and then finished her years of service at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens. She retired on Independence Day – July 4th, 2003. About 50 currently vacant acres on the Creedmoor site are slated to be redeveloped. During the delivery, Mr. Richards shared that he successfully negotiated for the inclusion of Veteran housing in the draft master plan for that redevelopment.

It was a special moment for Catherine. “Boy, wouldn’t that be something. We [Veterans] really need that help!”

God’s Love prepares and home delivers meals to nearly 500 Veterans every week as part of the growing Connected program. We recognize that Veterans diagnosed with a chronic disease, severe illness, or a mental health disorder, may deeply feel the loss of connections to service, friends, community. Catherine shared that God’s Love We Deliver has addressed that sense of loss:

“These meals saved my life. Before God’s Love We Deliver, I wasn’t eating. I almost died from not eating. Now, I have someone here who takes care of me, and I always have food that helped me gain weight and now I can think. I can communicate with my friends. These are lifesaving meals.”

We strive for the Connected program to build equity across people, restore human connections, foster relationships among Veterans, and provide nourishment. It is an honor and a privilege to serve those who have served. If you know a Veteran who needs life-saving Medically Tailored Meals, please visit our website for more information about Connected and guidance on how to apply.