By Mari Radtke
Katie Ginger, O’Brien County Veterans’ Affairs Administrator and two of her board members, Josh Haack and Jerry Kreykes, attended the January 9 Board of Supervisor meeting. The trio attended to open a discussion with the O’Brien County Supervisors about additional space for the VA office. The office works for regular administration and one-on-one appointments but fails for group programming that may be available through the State of Iowa, for storage and for efficiency with the very successful veterans’ food pantry. The freezer is located at the Upper Des Moines building.
Through the discussion it was revealed that the hallway in front of the VA door is not original. Originally the court house featured a “ladies’ lounge” and a “men’s smoking parlor.”
Josh Haack stated, “We are interested in the hallway space for the VA food bank. We’d like to move the freezer to a common location. We want to be accessible and easy to find.” Ginger said, “We want to be accessible and easy to find mostly for returning veterans and new arrivals. They come for drivers licenses and other required things.”
Katie proved the organization’s growth. In 2020 the department served 107 clients. In 2023 they served 476.
Supervisor Dan Friedrichesen commented about moving [the food bank] to the UDMO building to which Haack replied, “We are firm we are not moving.”
While discussing the space needs and options, Ginger also brought up their interest in how the budget is displayed. VA does get funds for the State and potentially other sources. Those funds go into the budget in through the general fund. The requested a line in the budget clearly identifying VA receipts from non-county tax sources. She said it would improve tracking expenditures.
Board Chair Tim Overmire agreed it makes sense for VA to be in the courthouse. He also likes the outreach once each month in Sanborn. The question was asked about how many veterans are in the county. Ginger explained veterans are not required to identify themselves as such. She went on to note WWII, Korean and Vietnam veteran losses. She is working on outreach to veterans and their spouses. There may be benefits available to spouses of veterans, widows. She is also looking to find time to visit with veterans and/or spouses in O’Brien County nursing homes.