I want to bring you back to this past summer when I had the opportunity to meet Justen Garrity, owner of Veteran Compost [read our blog post about his incredible work here]. We had a lovely chat about organic composting and his employing veterans. He, being a vet himself, has the understanding of our veterans and their struggles so he totally gets our mission! Today I am sending a big shout-out to Justen because he was so kind to refer BFL to the awesome folks at Kaifer Insurance to be the beneficiary of The Kaifer Insurance Chili Cook-off.

Mark Kaifer of Kaifer Insurance hosts this event each year to gather the community and support great causes. Mark, his family & friends put tons of work into this incredible event and it was certainly a fun filled evening chatting with some of the locals sharing chili, desserts while talking about football & food; but the best part was hearing how much love and support these folks have for those we serve. Mark, and his family poured their hearts and souls making this event happen. I enjoyed everyone so much and seeing how strong the appreciation that this tight-knit community has for our veterans and the suffering they endure.

A big thank you to all of those who participated in the chili cook-off. All of the chili’s were outstanding, I couldn’t decide who had the best one and those desserts were decadent!

We want to extend a very special thank you to Mark, Heather, Patrick and the rest of the gang. Without the generosity, hardworking efforts of people such as yourselves, Backpacks For Life would not be able to do what we do for those in need. A huge thank you also goes to Justen at Veteran Compost for the referral because of he took time out of his already busy schedule to share our organization with Mark. This kind gesture will go a long way in helping us better serve our veterans!

This article was written by Backpacks For Life community advocate volunteer, Sue Brown. Thank you!

From Composting to Chili Cook Off