WARREN — Local veterans received free hams ahead of Easter during a drive-up giveaway Friday afternoon hosted by the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1090 on High Street.

Volunteers from both organizations distributed 150 hams donated by Denise and John York of Boardman, a couple long recognized for supporting veterans’ needs during holidays. Veterans pulled up to a tent outside the post, showed identification and collected the hams in a contactless process aimed at easing access for those in need.

“There’s a lot of need in the Valley, and we’re able to see that with events like this,” said Herman Breuer, an Army veteran and Washington, D.C. consultant on services to veterans, who helped coordinate the effort.

He noted the Yorks have funded similar holiday giveaways for approximately six years, providing turkeys at Thanksgiving and hams at Christmas and Easter.

“It’s a way for us to just kind of give back to those that served,” Breuer said.

Chris Tobin, auxiliary president of VFW 1090, said the collaboration required to organize the event involved members of the VFW, its auxiliary, and the Purple Heart chapter.

“It’s a service to our veterans. That’s what we’re here for,” said Tobin, whose son is a combat veteran. “They gave everything, or could have given everything.”

Kenneth David of Girard, a representative of the Purple Heart chapter, described the emotional resonance of such efforts. He recalled a veteran who tearfully hugged him after receiving a grocery gift card during a prior outreach.

“It might be the only big meal their family’s gonna have for a couple months,” David said about the ham giveaway. “It’s about giving a helping hand to the people that really need it.”

Breuer said the organization’s plan is to continue expanding its outreach, with support in the form of community donations and volunteer support.

“The valley’s a wonderful community,” Tobin said. “We all seem to come together and love on each other.”