Brad Paisley Fans "Feed Our Vets"

It was the second year in a row that award-winning singer/songwriter Paisley invited Feed Our Vets to set up its trailer during his sold-out concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center two weeks ago and the results are now in.

The venue hosted a food collection contest as part of the event, with the winner earning front-row seats to the concert and a meet-and-greet with Paisley. John and Jill Bailey of Albany were the winners, bringing in a hefty 346 pounds of groceries.  The concert netted a total of 900 pounds of food and $400 in donations for Feed Our Vets.

“You can’t get much greater attention than when someone like Brad Paisley puts you in the spotlight,” said Richard Synek, founder and Executive Director of Feed Our Vets. “Brad is a great friend to Feed Our Vets. He cares deeply about helping to ensure that our veterans  have adequate food and shelter for themselves and their families, and we’re grateful to call him a partner in our effort to do that.”

Paisley commended Feed Our Vets for its tireless efforts to help struggling soldiers. “You’re doing wonderful things for our veterans. God bless you,” he told Synek.

Founded specifically to reduce hunger among American heroes, Feed Our Vets operates food pantries in Utica and Watertown, and a mobile pantry that distributes food to veterans in underserved rural communities in upstate New York. The organization also supports veterans nationwide to make sure that they have access to sufficient food for themselves and their families.

Nearly 3 million American soldiers and their families don’t have enough to eat each month. More than 100,000 veterans are homeless and hungry on any given night, and about 1.5 million American heroes are at risk of becoming homeless and hungry. Synek said the food collected at the concert would provide meals to many deserving New York veterans and their families.