San Ramon Nonprofit Fundraises To Feed Military

BAY AREA, CA — David Brennan works with a lot of service members as head of San Ramon-based charity Vouch4Vets, which supports veterans in their journey to find civilian work.

One thing he often hears from the military folks he interacts with? Service members don't always eat well.

So to thank the Bay Area men and women who protect our country, Vouch4Vets has launched a fundraiser to bring catered meals to active service members at all 14 military installations across the Bay Area, from Fairfield to Mountain View, Brennan said. Next week the charity and caterer will team up to offer their first barbecue feast to some 75 National Guard members in Concord.

The organization has raised $4,300 so far and is seeking $5,600 to cover the cost of meals provided at a discounted price, thanks to Oakland-based Culinary Excellence. A GoFundMe online fundraiser for the effort can be found here.

"Food brings us all together, really," he said.

Vouch4Vets seeks to help more veterans secure white-collar jobs by moving reference checks from the end of the job application process to the beginning.

Veterans' references can log onto the Vouch4Vets website and record a video of themselves answering a set of questions geared at showing an employer how a veteran's skills translate to the civilian job they're applying for. The veteran is then sent a link of the video that they can attach to their job application or post on their LinkedIn, giving them a better chance of getting an interview, Brennan said.

Vouch4Vets' corporate sponsors also invite veterans to apply for a job that they believe could fit the veteran's skill set, based on the video their reference submits.

When companies take references seriously, "we are certain this will be effective," he said.

Vouch4Vets started as a for-profit company in Emeryville in 2017, but when Danville native Brennan began transitioning the company into a charity, he moved his organization back home to the San Ramon Valley.

Looking forward, Brennan said he hopes to make more catered meals available to service members.

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