Veterans are helping other veterans this week.

On Tuesday, volunteers from local veterans organizations filled boxes of food and delivered them to veterans or their families.

They will do the same thing for the Christmas holiday in December.

“We had 27 boxes that we filled today,” said Arnold Earl, during a break in the good deed taking place Monday morning at Austin American Legion Post No. 91. “That’s down from last year at this time. We lost seven of our veterans who passed away this year.”

The local veterans organizations combine each year to form the Austin Area Veterans Council, which raises money and makes the food purchases before packing the items in a box and delivering to a veteran’s home or a deceased veteran’s family.

The boxes contain everything needed for a traditional Thanksgiving holiday meal, according to Earl.

“There are no sponsors. We do it all ourselves,” Earl said.

One couple contributed $200 in cash for the Thanksgiving project. Another individual donated $100.

It is not hard to find friends of veterans who financially support the project at year’s end. The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1216 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter No. 27, as well as the organizations’ auxiliaries all contribute the bulk of the money to the project.

“I think it’s terrific,” Early said of the Austin Area Veterans Council’s generosity. “I wish we had more people than we do to give the food to at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“With the economy the way it is today, lending a helping hand with food purchases is a good deal,” he said.

Another stalwart volunteer for veteran causes, Nancy Jessen, said, “We expect to help more people at Christmastime, but this is nice today to help those at Thanksgiving-time.”

The Austin Area Veterans Council was created in 1963 to help veterans and their families with a variety of needs, according to Roger Reller.

The annual holiday food distributions are the most public examples of the Council’s generosity, but dozens of private gestures go on throughout the year.

Martha Campbell, representing the DAV Auxiliary, said the food distribution made her feel “good” on the inside.

“They deserve help,” Campbell said.

Everett DeYoung, Post No. 91’s commander, “It’s going to be a great surprise and I hope they appreciate it. They all deserve it.”

“Most of them are elderly and this means a lot to them,” DeYoung said.

Norman Hecimovich, another volunteers, said a crew of 25 to 30 volunteers packed the food boxes for delivery and took them to the veterans’ homes. “We appreciate all of their help,” Hecimovich said.

The food baskets went as far away as Lyle, LeRoy and Adams as well as Austin.

For more information about obtaining a Christmas holiday food box, call Wayne Madson at 507 434-2712.

The VSO will merely refer the names to the Austin Area Veterans Council.

Or call, Early, the Austin Area Veterans Council chairman directly, at 507 438-9368