Our veterans have made many sacrifices for the safety of all Americans. Despite these sacrifices, many service members lack the community support they need to truly thrive once they transition back into the civilian world. Many veterans often deal with mental health issues, financial problems, and homelessness.

Veterans must get the help they need through the VA and their community to flourish in the civilian world. Learn more about the importance of community support for our veterans, the available resources, and how you can help the veterans in your area.

The Importance of Community Support for Our Veterans

Service members who complete their contract or retire from the military often have difficulty readjusting to the civilian world. Things work differently outside of the military, and many veterans struggle with mental health conditions like depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many veterans must learn to adjust to life at a different pace, find fulfilling work, and even deal with physical injuries.

As a result, some veterans struggle once they reenter the civilian world, especially if they don’t have a support system. Unfortunately, some veterans turn to substances to cope with their challenges, which can lead to a downward spiral in a person’s quality of life.

Our service members and veterans need support from their community to get through their challenges after their military careers. When vets don’t have the support they need at home, they should be able to turn to their community for the help they need, whether it’s a listening ear, financial assistance, work, or mental health treatment.

Resources and Support Groups for Our Veterans

Many resources are available to veterans, but many people are unaware of just how many resources are available. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers plenty of resources and support for our veterans, including disability assistance, medical care, education and training, life insurance, and more.

Apart from the VA, there are many groups and resources veterans can access, including:

●In-person support groups: If you want to meet with other veterans in person to find support, there are many groups you can join, including the American Legion, PTSD Foundation of America, the Vet Center Program, the Wounded Warrior Project, and more.

●Online support groups: If you live in a rural area or prefer to meet with others virtually, there are plenty of support groups you can find online. You can find plenty of support groups through social media, especially networking sites like Facebook. Other online resources include Vet Friends and the PTSD Coach App, which is available on desktop, Apple, or Android.

●Veterans Crisis Line: Veterans and their families can call the Veterans Crisis Line during moments of crisis. You can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 1-800-273-8255 and pressing one or sending a text message to 838255. You can also use the online chat service, which offers free, confidential, 24/7 hour support.

●Mental health treatment centers: Outside of the VA, there are plenty of places for veterans to find mental health treatment. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has an online locator you can use to find a treatment facility near you.

●Housing assistance: Homeless veterans have access to various programs through the VA to help them find housing. Some of these programs include Supportive Housing, Enhanced-Used Leases, Homeless Provider Grants, and more. Veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless can contact their local VA center for help and guidance toward the right resources.

●Church groups: Many churches have help available to veterans, even if they don’t attend the specific church. Some churches will host support groups, food drives, and other programs in support of veterans. Even churches that don’t have dedicated support programs in place for veterans, those who are struggling can reach out to their existing programs to get the help they need.

How You Can Support the Veterans in Your Community

While there are a lot of resources available to veterans to help them prosper after their time in the military, many veterans need support from their community. If you’re looking for ways to get involved, consider some of the options below:

1. Provide Transportation to Vets

Many service members don’t have the transportation they need to get to their medical appointments, buy groceries, or do other necessary tasks. You can volunteer with organizations like DAV, which gives you the opportunity to run errands for veterans.

The VA also has a volunteer transportation network you can sign up for to donate your time and/or vehicle to veterans in need. You can help veterans get to the medical or mental health appointments they need to thrive in the civilian world.

2. Volunteer With Your Local VA

The VA is always welcoming volunteers, so if you’re wanting to donate your time to help veterans in need, it’s a great place to start. You can use the VA locator to find a facility near you. Once you locate the closest facility, you can call or visit their website to learn more about their volunteer opportunities.

3. Visit Veterans at Your Local VA

If you don’t have the time to commit to volunteering, you can always visit wounded veterans at your local VA instead. Some veterans may not have visitors to bring joy to their day while they’re receiving treatment. You can bring a little light to a veterans day by finding your local VA and calling the facility. Ask if you can arrange a visit, and the staff will be familiar enough with their veterans to determine who would benefit most from your visit.

Visiting veterans allows you to sit and listen to them. Unfortunately, some veterans are more socially isolated than others, which can negatively impact their well-being. By taking time to listen to them and spend time with them, you’re allowing them to socialize so they feel less isolated throughout their day.

4. Help Veterans Get Hired

The organization Hire Heroes USA has dedicated itself to helping members of the military community find employment, including our veterans. Hire Heroes USA helps veterans build their resumes and prepare them for work in the civilian world through mentorship and career counseling.

If you’re interested in helping veterans get hired, you can fill out their volunteer application. You’ll be able to help out veterans right from your home and can pick from various tasks, including counseling prospective applicants, conducting mock interviews, or offering your industry expertise. You can even speak at webinars to share your industry expertise with an audience of job seekers in the military community.

5. Send a Thank You Note or Care Package

One of the simplest ways to show your gratitude and support for veterans in your community is to give a heartfelt, sincere thank you. Our veterans don’t get our thanks as often as they should, especially considering what they’ve sacrificed for our country. If you don’t know a veteran, you can write letters through Operation Gratitude or contact a local veteran organization to get a list of veterans so you can write thank you notes.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can create care packages for veterans, similar to how Operation Shoebox does for deployed service members. Start by collecting items, which you can do on your own, or by rallying your community for donations. You can reach out to your local VA facility to see if they’re willing to accept care packages from the local community, which can bring a lot of joy to those seeking treatment.

If you have a significant homeless veteran population in your area, you can create care packages that specifically address the needs of their situation. For example, these care packages can include hygiene products, coats, blankets, food, water, and other essentials. You can take these directly to any homeless veterans you know or to a homeless shelter that serves a lot of the homeless veterans in your area.

6. Offer to Help With Repairs, Chores, or Other Services

Many veterans, especially elderly or wounded veterans, have difficulty keeping up with their homes. Chores can pile up and things can break down unexpectedly. There are likely veterans in your area who need the help, and it’s an excellent way to spend your time. Look for veterans organizations and veterans groups and offer your help. Offering to do chores or repairing things around their home can go a long way in helping out a veteran who deserves it.

You can also offer your special skills to veterans who may be in need. For example, if you’re skilled in tax preparation, IT, medical training, or other important skills, you can support veterans in your community by offering your services free of charge. You’ll have the opportunity to help veterans who need your talents and may have financial difficulties preventing them from affording these services on their own.

7. Volunteer With Veteran Organizations

Even if you don’t have special skills or can’t do home repairs, there are plenty of other ways to help veterans in your community. You can look for veteran organizations in your community or nationwide groups that allow you to help remotely from your home. Many of these organizations rely on the work of volunteers to reduce overhead costs. Some of the work you can do for these organizations includes answering phones, doing clerical work, handling menial tasks, and more.

For example, a veteran organization that takes volunteers is Off-Road Outreach. This organization provides mobile showers to unhoused veterans in Fayetteville, North Carolina. They also have a Veggies for Vets garden that supplies homeless, at-risk, and low-income veterans with freshly grown produce. You can volunteer for Off-Road Outreach, and many organizations just like it all across America.

8. Prepare Food for Veterans

Many veterans go without the nutrition they need, whether they’re homeless or are unable to cook on their own. Making your local veterans a homecooked meal shows them that you care, even if you’re just baking them some cookies or other baked goods. Many organizations or local churches will hold events to feed veterans, and they’ll take donations from members of the community. You can also get involved with Feed Our Vets, which specifically focuses on feeding veteran families.

9. Become a Voice for Veterans

If you’re passionate about helping those who made sacrifices for your country and enjoy posting on social media, you can combine these two passions to help veterans. You can share content from other veteran organizations that provide the latest information regarding the resources available to veterans and their families. You can also create your own social media content or campaigns to raise awareness and encourage others in your community to get involved with helping our veterans.

If you want to take it a step further, you can reach out to your local, state, and federal representative about important issues regarding veterans. Staying on top of policies that could affect veterans, both positively and negatively, is a great way to show your support and contribute to significant changes for the betterment of veteran care.

Freely express your opinion on legislation or important issues to your legislators, and don’t be afraid to get your friends, family, and local community involved too. You can call or send letters directly to the offices of various politicians, and the more people making their voices heard about veterans issues, the more likely there will be significant change.

10. Donate to Veteran Organizations

Whether you want to make a one-time contribution or set up recurring payments, donating to a veteran’s organization of your choice is an excellent way to show your support to our veterans. Many of these organizations rely on contributions from the community to provide support to our veterans and their families, and even small donations can go a long way. You can choose from local organizations or those that operate nationwide to make your donation. No matter where you choose, you’ll help make a difference in veterans lives.

11. Raise a Service Dog or Visit With Your Pet

Many veterans rely on service dogs, whether it’s to assist with service-related injuries or it’s to help them with emotional and mental health challenges they developed after their service. The organization Veterans Moving Forward and their Canine Team helps veterans find service dogs, and they’re always looking for volunteers. These volunteers assist with socializing and raising puppies who will eventually become service dogs.

If you have a pet, it could benefit a veteran to visit with your pet tagging along. Spending time with animals can provide veterans with emotional and physical benefits. If you have a well-behaved dog, you can get them verified through the AKC to become a therapy dog. When you visit with your pet, you can bring some calmness and peace into a veteran’s life.

12. Help in the Fight Against Veteran Homelessness

Many veterans struggle with evictions, foreclosure, and homelessness. If you want to help combat this problem directly, you can volunteer with organizations like Home for Our Troops and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. These organizations build homes and provide affordable housing to veterans so they can have a home to call their own. You can also provide financial assistance to veterans you know who may be struggling with rent or other housing costs.

MLC Offering Our Support to Our Veterans

Our veterans have made numerous sacrifices for the safety and security of our country. Military Luggage Company would like to take this moment to thank each and every veteran for their service. We try to do our part for our veterans by offering lifetime warrior discounts on all of our products. While we know our veterans need significantly more than a discount to improve their well-being, it’s our small way of saying thank you to those who gave so much for our freedoms.