A sure-fire way to help veterans

Veterans - or more exactly the treatment of veterans - have been in the news a lot lately.

The full government and political machine, it appears, has been mobilized, with a host of public officials promising to fix problems in this country's health-care system for veterans, as well as active-service military.

Those efforts - some laudable, some purely political posturing - may take a while to produce concrete results, which may leave many of us regular citizens wondering what we can do to help veterans.

There's a very simple way to do that in the Flathead Valley: Shop on Saturday at the fourth annual Attic Sale at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.

This is a sale with a guaranteed benefit - all proceeds go to the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry.

The food pantry, run by Linda and Allen Erickson and other volunteer helpers, provides a sort of last line of support for needy veterans. And Saturday's sale is an important fundraiser that helps keep the pantry going.

The pantry provides a lot more than food. Veterans also can get clothing, bathing and laundry facilities, and perhaps most important, some understanding and camaraderie from people who care.

There are plenty of people that need that help. Last year almost 2,800 people benefited from the services and supplies from the pantry.

Erickson said the pantry caters to veterans who can't or won't take advantage of other community resources. And with all the recent publicity about shortcomings in the military health system, it's no wonder so many veterans have lost faith in our commitment to them.

The Ericksons and others haven't lost faith in veterans, however, and they demonstrate that faith and commitment every day at the pantry.

The plight of former soldiers is most chillingly evident in the fact that during the summer, two-thirds of the pantry's clients are homeless veterans.

Those who can't attend the sale but still want to support the worthwhile work of the food pantry can send contributions to: Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry, 1527 Montana 35 E., Kalispell, MT 59901. The pantry also is in constant need of donations of basic items such as sugar, flour, coffee, cocoa and canned foods.

Help the pantry in its efforts to help the men and women who served our country.