Life After the Military & Veteran Resources | Stories | PBS Food (2024)

Story lidia bastianich lidia celebrates america

Bob and Lidia sit down with the service men and the veterans, breaking bread and reflecting on good times, hard times, and the pride and love in between. Watch as veterans talk about the challenges of life after the military, and see Lidia try for herself the MREs, or 'Meals Ready to Eat,' packaged food for soldiers stationed abroad.

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Resources for Veterans

From PBS

• PBS Stories of Service A multi-platform initiative that unites powerful stories and conversations around one of our countrys most resilient communities: our military veterans.
• Veterans Coming Home Veterans Coming Home is an innovative cross-platform public media campaign that bridges Americas military-civilian divide by telling stories, challenging stereotypes and exploring how the values of service and citizenship are powerful connectors for all Americans.

Veterans & Agriculture

• Beginning Farmers.org Offers beginning farmer-training programs specifically targeted toward military veterans.
• Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots A University of Nebraska-Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture program that prepares veterans to work in the agricultural field through education and training. The program helps match the participants with farm and ranch owners.
• Farmer Veteran Coalition Cultivates a new generation of farmers and food leaders, and develops viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities.
• Grow Appalachia Partners with communities in 6 states throughout central Appalachia to combat food insecurity and malnutrition. Grow Appalachia's partners have worked directly with more than 4,300 families to produce nearly 3 million pounds of healthy, organic produce.
• The Kentucky Department of Agriculture Assists farmers, agricultural businesses, and commodity groups in promoting and marketing their products by expanding existing markets, as well as developing domestic and international markets.
• Strong Rural America & The Farm Bureau Patriot Project A mentorship program that connects military veteran beginning farmers and ranchers with experienced Farm Bureau member farmers and ranchers.
• Work Vessels for Veterans Equips America's returning veterans with the tools they need to start a business or pursue career education.

More Veteran Resources

• AMVETS Enhances and safeguards the entitlements for all American Veterans who have served honorably and to improve the quality of life for them, their families, and the communities where they live through leadership, advocacy and services.
• Bob Woodruff Foundation We ask people to stand up for heroes so that we can find, fund, and shape innovative programs that help our impacted veterans, service members and their families thrive.
• Continuing Education Resources for Veterans Providing the benefit of higher education to veterans through federal programs, state-level grants and scholarships, school-sponsored initiatives, and the work of various non-profit organizations.
• Culinary Command Culinary Command Training is a rigorous, elite, intense and extremely fulfilling 45-day program for a select number of veterans or active-duty U.S. military who are committed to learning and/or re-tooling for a career in the culinary arts.
• Gary Sinese Foundation Honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need, by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities.
• Heroes Sports Heroes Sports is an organization created to help veterans returning home from combat operation, in hopes that we can assist the veteran to be more involved with society to ensure a smooth transition into civilian life.
• Higher Education Resources for Veterans and their Families: More than 150 resources to help student veterans and their families overcome the challenges of higher education and career training.
• Hire Heroes USA Transitioning from military to civilian life presents unique challenges. To makes things easier and provide structure, Hire Heroes USA has combined forces with Hiring Our Heroes and Institute of Veterans and Military Families to create a single place to start. No matter where you are in your career search, youll have access to resources, tools, and instruction to help find the career thats right for you.
• Hope for the Warriors Hope For The Warriors provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, and military families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources.
• Institute of Culinary Education A leading pathway to begin or continue a wide range of culinary careers. There are many active duty and veterans benefits available to ICE students.
• K-9s for Warriors Dedicated to providing service canines to warriors suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disability, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post 9/11. Our goal is to empower them to return to civilian life with dignity and independence.
• Pride Mobility Eligible service-connected disabled veterans are offered services leading to suitable employment and/or services leading to more independence in daily living.
• Quantum Rehab Quantum Rehab® is dedicated to being the premier global innovator of consumer-inspired complex rehab mobility technologies that not only deliver medical comfort, but also the features needed toward overall well-being, serving the entirety of users activities of daily living.
• United Service Organization The USO strengthens Americas military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation.
• U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's veterans.
• We are the Mighty Celebrating military service with stories that inspire.
• The Wounded Warrior Project The mission of The Wounded Warrior Project is to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured service members aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.