ONTARIO âSince June 30, Ontarioâs Grocery Outlet has been bagging up groceries to help out veterans as part of its annual Independence for Hunger fundraiser. Grocery store owners, Dale and Jillian Gonzales, have not only asked the community to support their efforts, theyâve incentivized their cashiers to help with the mission of helping food supplies for Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida, which offers a pantry for veterans.
As of Tuesday morning, Charlene Pelland, with Veteran Advocates, said that the store had collected more than $6,000 in groceries and monetary contributions for the Ontario-based nonprofit that serves veterans.
Pelland said volunteers have gone over five times, filling about 100 to 150 bags each time, all of which have been paid for by donations. These volunteers include Bob Metzger, Cheryl Smit, Kay McPheeters, Lynn Haag, Jan and Phil Jacques, Billy Vance and Pelland.