We have between 1400-2000 homeless Veterans in the Kansas City area that need a variety of services.
I volunteer twice a year with the Heart of America Standdown where we provide a one stop shop for homeless Veterans in the metropolitan Kansas City area. The unfortunate fact is that those 2 words are even used together. Homeless Veterans.
Many who know me, or read my blog, know that I have great love and respect for our military Veterans. I didn't serve in the military myself, (though both of my parents, uncles, sisters, sister-in-law, brother in law & niece - served & some are still serving. I figure that my offering is to serve the Veterans that served our country.
This year because of government cutbacks, we don't have access to a few things that we normally
would: Boots (for warmth and protection), rain gear, first aid kits and shaving cream. We expect 500-700 Veterans to make their way to Memorial Hall in Kansas City Kansas on November 8, 2013. Tomorrow, Monday, the 8th, we host our first ever boot drive at three locations listed here on the Heart of America Standdown website. My task, after setting up the Boots for Vets Drive, was to get community involvement. That meant getting our media to tell our story so that people would know of the situation. Here is one of the news stories from KCTV5 video of Heart of America Standdown that featured the co-founders, and a committee member who helps to manage the items in the warehouse. Luckily, our needs were featured on several local stations. I'll see after tomorrow how successful we really were.
Even before President Barack Obama & VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said that their goal is to eliminate Veteran homelessness before 2015. Art Fillmore and Bob Waechter founded the Heart of America Standdown Foundation in 1993 to start the process at home, here in the Kansas City area, sooner. I love working with the good people on this committee, many of whom are Veterans.
Even though it can be a bit sad looking into the face of someone that I know doesn't have a place to call their own, I do know that when they leave us they will have had access to services that include housing, legal, medical, employment opportunities...and a warm meal, clothing, a haircut and other necessary supplies. Until the Spring...
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