Driven to serve
Student volunteers from Godley Independent School District in Godley, Texas, load boxes filled with nearly 50 pounds of food into vehicles during a mobile food pantry at the Fort Worth VA Outpatient Clinic. The event served veterans in the area facing food insecurity.
Texas high school students volunteer with veteran mobile food pantry as part of DAV-supported leadership development program By Brian Buckwalter
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ith the support of DAV and nonprofit Team America, a group of high school students from Godley Independent School District (ISD) in Godley, Texas, have partnered with the Fort Worth VA Outpatient Clinic and the Tarrant Area Food Bank to help distribute meals during a mobile food pantry event for area veterans facing food insecurity. RC Shields, a specialist with the VA North Texas Healthcare System Center for Development and Civic Engagement, organized the event—the first of its kind in the region for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / APRIL 2022
“The more that we collaborate with other organizations, the more that we collaborate with community, the greater that we can serve the vets,” said Shields. “Without the collaboration, we can’t serve vets to the fullest.” Jason Hill, a coach with Godley High School, said his school’s students were invited to participate because of their involvement with the Tomlinson Center for Leadership, a development program founded by former NFL football player and Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson as part of his Team America organization. DAV is a supporting partner of Team America. “Partnerships like the one DAV has with Team America are an effective way to introduce volunteering to a younger generation,” said DAV National Voluntary Services Director John Kleindienst. “The opportunity Godley’s students had to serve veterans in their community hopefully inspires them to seek out
