Gov. Mike Kehoe and first lady Claudia visited Missouri Veterans Home - Mexico last week as representatives of Mansion on a Mission.

On Sept. 30, the governor, first lady and governor’s office staff delivered activity kits and wine to residents of the Missouri Veterans Home - Mexico. Gov. Kehoe and his wife, along with Rep. Kent Haden, District 43; Chris Stigall, a candidate for U.S. representative in the 6th District and Paul Kirchhoff, executive director of the Missouri Veterans Commission, visited one-on-one with many residents of the veterans home.

Throughout September, Mansion on a Mission delivered the wine and activity kits to all seven of Missouri’s veterans homes across the state. 

Mansion on a Mission was first established in November 2025 as a community service initiative led by the first family and the Missouri Governor’s Mansion. Its first mission involved delivering 100 Thanksgiving meal kits to families in the Jefferson City School District. Mansion on a Mission continues to partner with local and statewide organizations. 

“We literally go around to communities all across the state to visit folks who we can bring the mansion to,” Kehoe said. 

He added that Wednesday’s visit was not just about honoring veterans, but also about thanking the staff at the Missouri Veterans Home of Mexico. 

“That’s super important to me because these men and ladies taking care of our heroes are fantastic,” he said.

Gov. Kehoe is a former Honor Flight guardian who said he has been inspired each time he is around the men and women who served.

“Thank you for your service to our country,” Kehoe told veterans who gathered to meet him in the cafe. “It means a lot to me to be around our state’s heroes. Claudia and I try to spend as much time with our veterans community as possible.”

The Missouri Veterans Home wasn’t the governor’s only stop in Mexico. Earlier in the day, Gov. Kehoe and his team also toured the new Western Smokehouse Partners facility in Mexico. 

“That’s a really great plant,” Kehoe said. “They’re going to be expanding soon and they’re putting equipment in now. We really appreciate their investment, the opportunities, the jobs they’re providing and the product they make is pretty darn good, too.”

Gov. Kehoe also said he will soon brief community leaders about the status of a critical access hospital in Mexico. 

“We’re trying to find the right partner for that with the right resources so we don’t go through this up and down, open and close environment again,” he said.