The Cost of Courage Foundation celebrated the grand opening of a new food pantry near Mountain View on Tuesday, Oct. 27, NBC Bay Area reported. It will offer groceries, personal care products and other essentials to active-duty service members, veterans and military families facing financial hardship.
Who runs it
The foundation is an all-volunteer nonprofit. Its website says it has served the military community since 2014 with emergency assistance for veterans, service members and their families. NBC Bay Area said the new pantry is part of a broader effort to address food insecurity among military families.
A string of base pantries
According to the foundation, it opened its first family pantry at Travis Air Force Base in November 2018 and restocked it monthly with nonperishable groceries and personal care items. A pantry followed at Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma in April 2022, and another at the Army's Presidio of Monterey in April 2023. The Travis and Petaluma pantries later consolidated at the Presidio of Monterey, where Air Force and Coast Guard personnel can still get help by appointment. The Monterey pantry, at the General Stilwell Community Center, also has a freezer stocked monthly with frozen meals and a kids' book corner. Everything is free to eligible families.
The group also runs a mobile pantry for veterans in need. The foundation says that program pairs groceries with referrals for mental health, employment, education and financial counseling for veterans moving into civilian life. Details on eligibility are on the foundation's website.