The Mission Continues Nourishes Washington, DC Veteran Community

The pandemic persists. Millions of families in America are still facing food insecurity, including veteran families. In the spirit of spring and new beginnings, The Mission Continues knows volunteering is an important way for food-secure families to help their less fortunate neighbors get back on their feet. That is why, on the first day of the new spring season, The Mission Continues hosted a service project at Fields 4 Valor Farms in Washington, D.C.

Like The Mission Continues, Fields 4 Valor Farms is a veteran-led nonprofit that is taking the issue of food insecurity in the United States seriously. Their Washington, D.C. area farm produces vegetables, honey, eggs, and other fresh food to nourish food-insecure veteran families in the region.. They’ve distributed roughly one thousand pounds of food so far this year—and on March 20, 2021, The Mission Continues sent reinforcements to help double that output!

Before founding Fields 4 Valor Farms, veteran Peter Scott completed a fellowship with Dog Tag Bakery—another veteran-led nonprofit supported by Boeing. With teamwork and leadership coursing through his veins and shared goals, he was thrilled to collaborate with The Mission Continues. He said, “last year [The Mission Continues volunteers] came and did a bunch of fieldwork to get us back up to operation, and this year you’re going to expand our operation so we can impact more veteran families.”  

The project’s mission was to prepare a formerly unused piece of land for food production by installing raised herb beds. We were so happy to see veteran and non-veteran volunteers come out to show their support and achieve something together—socially distanced, of course!

Leading the day of service was Platoon Leader David DuBois, a military veteran who has been volunteering in his community for over 20 years. David is no stranger to food insecurity. He said, “As a young boy growing up in New York, I often found myself looking for food to fill my hunger. I remember a time when I was seven [years old], and I would follow another boy to school, who would throw his lunch away every day, and I would collect it and eat it…Now, as an adult, I give back or help communities in need when I can, and being a TMC platoon leader gives me that opportunity to do so.”

For many veterans, the desire to get into the nitty-gritty of serving their community runs strong. David said, “Our veterans are drawn to this [project]–and all of our projects–because they have a need to serve and give back…Our volunteers want to get back out and get their hands dirty, and this project [was] a great opportunity for our volunteers to have a safe environment following COVID protocols…”

The vital impact of this collaborative project between The Mission Continues and Fields 4 Valor Farms is made possible by creative leaders like Peter and David, our volunteers and by longtime supporters like The Boeing Company. Boeing has been a steadfast supporter of The Mission Continues’ Washington DC Service Platoons since 2014. The company recently made a $1 million investment to fortify The Mission Continues’ initiative to address food insecurity in under-resourced communities across the country, called Operation Nourish. Operation Nourish mobilizes hundreds of The Mission Continues’ veteran leaders to volunteer in support of the cause. The service project at Fields 4 Valor Farms epitomized what the movement is all about.

And if we are going to keep making a real difference for food-insecure families in communities across the country, we need you! 

Operation Nourish is made for volunteers and their families who believe that no family in this country should go hungry. And during the spring season, when we celebrate the warm weather and dig into seasonal fruits and vegetables with picnics and backyard barbecues, it seems only fitting that we share our joy with our less fortunate neighbors with seasonally fresh food for themselves.

Everyone is invited to join in–no previous military experience required! Sign up the whole family for a fun and rewarding experience together!