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Chancellor Michael F. Collins and UMass Chan Medical School staffers were on hand distributing Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings to veterans and their families at the Veterans Inc. annual Holiday Harvest event on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to join so many volunteers providing food to veterans who have served our country so well and are in need at the holiday time,” said Chancellor Collins. “We are always glad to bring a team from the medical school to participate.”
Along with a turkey, each family was given potatoes, carrots, cranberry sauce, stuffing, assorted vegetables, fresh produce and a pie. More than 700 turkeys were donated for distribution, supermarket style in large shopping carts, to approximately 500 households, with those remaining put in the freezer for Christmas.
Headquartered in Massachusetts and now serving all six New England states, Veterans Inc. is the largest provider of support services to veterans and their families in New England. Since its founding, Veterans Inc. has helped more than 60,000 veterans in need with job training and employment services, health and wellness programs, and supportive services ranging from transportation to legal advice.
“Chancellor Collins and his family have been staunch advocates and supporters of our agency for a number of years,” said Veterans Inc. President and CEO Vincent Perrone. The retired USAF Lt. Colonel co-founded Veterans Inc. in 1990 and will be making a presentation about veterans’ health issues to medical and nursing students at UMMS on Dec. 19.
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