America’s veterans served their countries in peacetime and in war, and students at The Citadel, a Sullivan Foundation partner school, returned the favor in a recent project for Soldiers’ Angels, a San Antonio-based nonprofit that provides aid, comfort and resources to active-duty service members and veterans.

Students in The Citadel Health Careers Society, joined by others from the college, spent a Friday morning in early October volunteering with Soldiers’ Angels, supplying low-income veteran families with food assistance.

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About 250 low-income veterans from the Charleston, S.C. area were served, and each received about 70 pounds of food, including fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, frozen chicken, many varieties of frozen meals and canned goods, and drinks.

“We simply have the best at The Citadel, said Dr. Sarah Imam, a 2019 recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the faculty administrator for the society and a professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance. “Not only did this group of cadets and students volunteer, they did so wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm. They interacted with the veterans, addressed them with courtesy, asked them about their branch and thanked them for their service.”

In total, 25 cadets, one veteran graduate student and three members of the faculty and staff were on site to help those heroes who are in need.

“I had students from across the school, from all majors—not just those that are pursuing a health career—who joined in with [the event] today,” Imam said. “These students genuinely care about our community and our veterans.”

The Citadel Health Careers Society is a student-led organization for cadets and students from any major who want to pursue a healthcare career. The society helps members become more competitive applicants for postgraduate studies.

The volunteers from The Citadel worked at the Elks Lodge in Charleston from 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m. on Friday, October 9.

Soldiers’ Angels has a global network of volunteers—representing all 50 states and 12 countries abroad—who work to ensure that those who serve or have served are supported, uplifted and remembered through a variety of support programs.

This article has been edited slightly from the original version appearing on The Citadel’s website.

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