Um.

Just a second.

Just seeing if it's a volunteer for me.

Wait, wait.

Or sometimes not.

Sometimes they're-- I don't know who it is.

Sometimes people are dropping off food.

Everything on the shelves is marked and you just find stuff and refill the shelves.

Here's the beef.

Very good.

Where's the beef?

Where's the beef?

Yep.

I was just thinking that.

Rich is here.

He can accept the food.

[sighs] So the military community is-- whenever you're near a military base, whether it be Air Force, Army, Navy, the community itself-- [laughs] Sorry.

That's OK. That's Steve from the Vet Center.

[music playing] When I was telling my friends, I'm moving to Watertown, New York.

And they were like, where is that?

And I'm like, I'm not exactly sure.

I think it's near Canada.

When you're coming home to somewhere and you feel green and the air is fresh and you just want to be part of it, that's immediately how I felt about the North Country.

A lot of people really want to talk.

Because they know that I'm here to listen and not exploit what they're doing.

I started volunteering at the food pantry when it was a mobile unit at our Vet Center in Watertown.

And I saw that the mobile unit was really outgrowing itself.

So my involvement went from just a regular old volunteer to taking over (LAUGHING) and doing the entire pantry.

Is one bag of lima beans-- Take it out.

Do what you've got to do.

Yeah, lima beans are probably going to stay there all day.

[music playing] [indistinct chatter] I am actually from the southwest so I think this is like my second life.

You know how people change their careers completely?

So my first life I was a mom at 16.

As a young mom I did $5 an hour jobs.

And when my youngest got into kindergarten I went to college and got my teaching certificate.

So I taught.

So that's second life, second career.

And I was a teacher and adored it.

Ended up getting a divorce and married a soldier.

My third life.

That soldier was about to go to Europe and so it was lose your job or lose the man.

And I didn't want to.

He was worth it.

That's what this is.

Oh, you just are quiting, you are.

[laughter] [scraping] I usually have young people do this.

I'm young enough.

No.

You are.

I'm talking about myself.

Oh.

[music playing] Raise your hand if you'll drink 2% milk.

Even in a town like this where there are so many resources people get lost.

A lot of people are just kind of suffering in silence.

Everyone around them is also a veteran and so they don't think like, oh, I have a right to talk about this.

Tonia Russell she's this kind of woman who if you come to her and say, I don't know how I'm going to pay my rent this week.

Even though you're coming to the food pantry she takes it on.

If you know that this family is good for a little bit until they can get something else, get some more help, or get their paycheck.

I love doing this shop.

Is it mostly veterans?

Or is it a mix?

Some, yes.

I'm starting to feel like I'm getting a sense of who this place is.

Do you need a suit?

Yes.

Do you want to go look for suits right now real quick?

Come on.

Let's go get you a suit.

Peanut butter and jelly mixed together.

Sure.

There you go.

I was a mom at 16.

Not a lot of people know that.

I moved out of my parents' house when I was 17.

I had to get WIC and I was on food stamps for a little while.

And I was part of the social network.

That person would have never saw this person.

That 17-year-old girl would have never saw this woman.

When you're the one they're relying on and then you come through.

That's a pretty cool thing.

It's a meal for four.

I don't know.

Should we be particular and say it's only for family?

You know what we could do?

(SOFTLY) My fourth life.

Oh wow.

I can't even picture it.

It's a mystery.

[rolling] I'm so exhausted.