Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

A national non-profit organization with offices in all 83 Michigan counties held its annual “Harvest for Heroes” event in Livingston County this past weekend. With the assistance of VetLife, veterans of all stripes were able to obtain food, resources and support — all at no cost. The event was held Friday.

Harvest for Heroes takes place each November prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. VetLife sponsors several hundred veterans families by handing out complimentary Thanksgiving turkey baskets. Resource providers are on hand during pickup to answer any questions veterans may have about benefits.

Since 2018, VetLife has distributed over 6,000 meals and fed more than 20,000 veterans and their families. VetLife President Joshua Parish says many veterans have a tough time finding a job after they leave the military and the Harvest for Heroes event is, in his words, “a way to show them that we still care about them, (because) a lot of veterans fall through the cracks."

The Livingston County Veterans Affairs office is located at 1420 Lawson Drive in Howell.