The FruitGuys Partners with RTW to Feed Chicago Veterans

Every Thursday morning, Wilbert Taylor pulls up to The FruitGuys’ Chicago warehouse in his truck. He pops open the back, says hello to Receiving Supervisor Jack Reed, and starts filling the truck with boxes of bananas, apples, oranges, and other fresh fruit. 

This is just one stop on Wilbert’s weekly rounds picking up donated groceries for Remake the World Veteran Center (RTW). It’s a nonprofit that offers free food and other services to veterans, active service members, and their families in the Chicago area. Wilbert has volunteered with the group since 2018. 

“I was a financial planner in the financial services business for forty-two years, and about seven years ago started doing this on a voluntary basis,” he told The FruitGuys. “Now that I’m retired, I do more of it. It’s part of my giving back to the community.”

Helping Veterans One Grocery Box at a Time

After visiting The FruitGuys, Wilbert stops at Whole Foods to collect more donations. Then, he meets up with a small but mighty team of RTW volunteers who tuck the fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, milk, rice, and other groceries into boxes. 

The boxes go back in the truck, and Wilbert heads out again—this time to deliver them to local veteran’s groups, churches, homes, and even homeless families camped out on street corners. 

RTW knows many of these veterans so well that its team builds grocery boxes just for them. They make meat-free boxes for vegetarians, and for families on the street, Wilbert packs fresh produce and prepared foods they can eat without a microwave or stove. 

“Most of them are very grateful. I’ve heard comments like if it wasn’t for us, certain families wouldn’t be able to eat as healthy as they eat,” Wilbert said, noting that rising grocery prices have made it difficult for some veterans to afford healthy meals. 

RTW feeds about 800 families every week with just four volunteers. 

Veterans Feeding Veterans: The RTW Story

RTW dates back to 2011, when Vietnam veteran Daniel Habeel and his late wife Arnetha Gholston-Habeel first met homeless and hungry veterans living in their Chicago neighborhood. They started offering them free meals and, before long, turned an entire floor of their house into a soup kitchen. 

“Our No. 1 mission and first program is no veteran goes hungry,” Daniel told The FruitGuys. “So since 2011, we’ve been feeding veterans. We had our soup kitchen, and we heated and prepared over 300,000 meals within the seven years we had it open.” 

The soup kitchen is closed now, but RTW still feeds veterans and connects them with housing, clothing, and mental health services like counseling. 

“Our No. 2 mission is to heal broken warriors. As of today, 17 warriors a day commit suicide,” Daniel said. 

RTW’s third mission is to develop supported communities. Right now, the organization serves a portion of Chicago because of limited resources, but Daniel hopes to one day reach every veteran in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.  

30,000+ Pieces of Fruit for the Cause

The FruitGuys has partnered with RTW for more than ten years. Every purchase our clients make helps us give back, and in 2024 alone, we donated 30,991 pieces of fresh fruit to the cause.

Our Chicago team looks forward to seeing Wilbert every Thursday. When we asked what keeps him coming back to load up those boxes of bananas, apples, and oranges, he said, “There’s a tremendous need out there, especially within the veteran community. To me, it’s a way to give back to the community—as well as good exercise!”

How You Can Help Support RTW

If RTW’s mission resonates with you, consider lending your support. You can volunteer, donate, or use The FruitGuys’ Donate-a-Crate program to “fruit it forward” and send extra fresh fruit its way. Every purchase you make with us also supports our weekly donations to RTW and other organizations around the country that feed people in need. We couldn’t do it without you!