Geisinger serves meals at drive-through Veterans Appreciation dinners
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DANVILLE, Pa. – To thank local veterans for their service to our country, Geisinger served about 1,500 meals during drive-through Veterans Appreciation dinners at eight locations across its service area on Thursday, Nov. 12. The dinners for U.S. military veterans and guests were provided by Geisinger staff at no cost to participants.
Geisinger expanded this annual event from three locations last year to eight locations in 2020. Meals were provided in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Danville, Bloomsburg, Shamokin, Jersey Shore and Lewistown. While the event is typically a traditional, sit-down meal, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic it was changed to a drive-through event for the safety of staff and the community.
“It is important to honor and recognize our military veterans and we were happy to do so this year in a way that kept everyone safe,” said U.S. Army veteran Chris Grill, program manager of Military and Veterans Affairs at Geisinger. “This event gave us an opportunity to thank them for all they have done to protect the freedoms we enjoy as a country.”
Geisinger was recently named a Best for Vets: Employers 2020 by the Military Times for the health system’s commitment to hiring and retaining military personnel and reservists within the organization.
In 2019, Geisinger implemented a two-week paid leave benefit for employees serving in the Reserves or the National Guard. Under the leave policy, service members are paid for time at annual trainings, encampments and drills. The health system also created an employee resource group, VetNet, to give a forum to veteran employees for discussing issues important to them.
Geisinger expanded this annual event from three locations last year to eight locations in 2020. Meals were provided in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Danville, Bloomsburg, Shamokin, Jersey Shore and Lewistown. While the event is typically a traditional, sit-down meal, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic it was changed to a drive-through event for the safety of staff and the community.
“It is important to honor and recognize our military veterans and we were happy to do so this year in a way that kept everyone safe,” said U.S. Army veteran Chris Grill, program manager of Military and Veterans Affairs at Geisinger. “This event gave us an opportunity to thank them for all they have done to protect the freedoms we enjoy as a country.”
Geisinger was recently named a Best for Vets: Employers 2020 by the Military Times for the health system’s commitment to hiring and retaining military personnel and reservists within the organization.
In 2019, Geisinger implemented a two-week paid leave benefit for employees serving in the Reserves or the National Guard. Under the leave policy, service members are paid for time at annual trainings, encampments and drills. The health system also created an employee resource group, VetNet, to give a forum to veteran employees for discussing issues important to them.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is committed to making better health easier for the more than 1 million people it serves. Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes 10 hospital campuses, a health plan with more than half a million members, a research institute and the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, which includes schools of medicine, nursing and graduate education. With more than 25,000 employees and 1,700+ employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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