“Cooking With a Veteran” began with hunger — an ache that Dave Rogers knew too well. Before he enlisted in the U.S. Army and for a short time after his honorable discharge, Rogers faced homelessness. This permanent mark, left by Rogers’ temporary situation, stirred within him a desire to ensure others wouldn’t face their struggles alone. When the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the nation, worsening food insecurity and leaving veterans among those going hungry, Rogers knew he must act.
“World War II and Korean War veterans were not getting hot meals and had no way to cook for themselves,” recalled Rogers. “I cooked for them, and the program kept growing. I learned that if a veteran is having a hard time with a traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder, it is even harder for them to focus on getting better when they are also worried about where their next meal is going to come from.”
Rogers was living in New York at the time, and though helping others overcome hunger was at the forefront of his mind, he was also deeply concerned about the mental health of his comrades. From March 2020 through January 2021, he hosted an online daily cooking show where he shared food, art, and stories of personal growth with veterans in 11 other states.
With Grunt — his trusty service dog of eight years — by his side, Rogers has now turned his mission into a lifeline for many. Drawing from his own experiences and the warmth of memories of his beloved grandmother, who taught him how to cook, Rogers created his 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Though it started with home-cooked meals, using the principle of “teaching a man to fish” versus “giving a man a fish,” he teaches veterans how to make the food in their pantries stretch further than they thought possible.
“After we moved to a weekly program, we began to help in other ways. As we grew, we started working with other programs and organizations, cooking for first responders and veterans in the community. I teach veterans struggling with food insecurity to make broths from leftovers and how to turn meals into something new. I help them explore ways to reduce cost by knowing that they don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a great meal.”
Since those meager beginnings in New York, thousands have now found inspiration in his online cooking show, and now that Rogers lives in Shelbyville, he continues to work tirelessly. He is truly living out the Army’s motto, “Be All You Can Be,” and through cookbook sales and numerous fundraisers, he is making it possible for fellow veterans to do the same.
“To date, we have fed over 1,500 veterans and their family members,” said Rogers. “We’ve provided 300 grocery shopping cards to the Veterans Administration and service officers here in Tennessee to give to veterans, and donated over $10,000 to various organizations helping veterans.”
When it comes to running a nonprofit, Rogers said, “I like to talk directly to people when I can. This lets them see my passion for what I am doing. Since we work out of my kitchen, I am blessed that 98-100% of donations go directly to help veterans.”
Armed with the belief that “food is the language that brings us all together,” and the motivation of “Feeding Veterans One Meal at a Time,” Rogers said, “We are working to establish annual funds and partnerships that will allow us to help veterans not just in Tennessee, but in several states in the next couple of years. We also just created a free veterans guide for veterans in Tennessee. We also have a music night on July 19 at The Fly Arts Center to raise funds to buy grocery cards for veterans, and in September, we will have our second annual ‘Crawl, Walk, Run.’” GN
For more information, follow Cooking With a Veteran on Facebook or visit www.cookingwithaveteran.org.
