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2 • NOVEMBER 2020 - Senior Voice of Citrus County
They Served Their Country. Now,
They Serve Their Fellow Veterans.
By Megan Carella
About 18 percent of Citrus
County’s residents – 26,000
people – are military veterans.
Despite having served their
country, many of these
veterans face financial and
physical challenges. Some
live on less than $1,000 a
month and cannot afford the
basics of life – food, clothing,
rent, and basic home and
vehicle repairs. What also
makes Citrus County unique
is that more than 70% of our
veterans are over the age
of 65. Many of these older
veterans have specific needs,
such as handicapped home
modifications, and dealing
with physical and mental
health issues, loneliness, and
even homelessness.
But Citrus County’s veterans
also have support, not
only from the Veteran’s
Administration and other
government entities, but
also from fellow veterans –
people who have made it their
mission to help their brothers-
and sisters-in-arms get the
help they need.
Every Tuesday and two
Thursdays each month, the
Citrus County Veterans
Coalition opens the doors
of its Inverness-based food
pantry to provide two weeks’
worth of fresh produce, frozen
meat, canned and dry goods,
dairy products, and baked
goods to military veterans
in need and their families.
The all-volunteer coalition
was started in 2004 by a
gathering of veterans, with the
“You see some of the people
come in here and the look on
their faces when they walk
away with food; it’s tough,”
he said. “We’ve had vets
come in and just break down,
widows who said they had no
money for food shopping. It
means something to be able to
give back.”
The Veterans Coalition
relies on funds raised from
a monthly (pre-COVID-19)
yard sale, and individual
donations, and works with
local food banks, the New
Church Without Walls, and
other groups to keep their
shelves filled. Earlier this
year, the Citrus County Board
The Veterans Coalition boasts several freezers, including one of County Commissioners
industrial-sized, filled with meat and chicken for veterans and their sold the group, for one
families. (Photo by Jim Vavala) dollar, the former Inverness
On the cover: WWII veteran Robert Molls (wearing mask), got more Community Center. The
building now houses the
than a cake from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. The
group, working with United Way’s Mission United program, built a food pantry, and an ongoing
ramp and made repairs on the 98-year-old’s home. (Photo by Mission indoor yard sale, and has
United) storage for wheelchairs and
idea to provide services for veterans or veterans’ families other equipment donated by
local vets and their families, each month, said Robert the community. With a recent
said Richard “Dick” Floyd, “Bob” Bendle, coalition grant from the Citrus County
coalition chairman and Air treasurer and Marine Corps Hospital Board, the coalition
Force veteran. veteran who served in the purchased industrial-sized
Vietnam War. refrigerators and freezers to
“There are a lot of veterans in
this county who need help and “Most of our vets here are replace the many smaller units
there are several organizations living on so little a month. they had been using.
who can provide it,” he said. That’s why I do this – to “It was a big savings on our
“We initially wanted to try to help them,” he said. “We’re electric bill,” said Dick.
bring all the groups together, all volunteers; every penny
but they wanted to work we raise goes back to the Local veterans often need
independently. Even though veterans.” more than food to get by.
that didn’t work out, we all That’s where other veterans
work with each other when Fellow Vietnam veteran groups come in, said Tom
it comes to helping veterans. John Daley and his wife O’Brien, director of the
If we can’t meet a need, we regularly donated paper United Way’s “Mission
know who to steer them to.” goods and other supplies to United” program.
the coalition and gradually
The Veterans Coalition got more involved.
provides food to 60 to 70 VETERANS / Continued on page 3