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Friday's Internet Edition, November 21, 2008.
Stand Down for Veterans needs help from Galt
Where small donations are big rewards
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Junior Girl Scouts Frances Daley, Mia Thorton and Emi Smith take their turn collecting donations of shampoo for the Stand Down for Veterans event being held this month. The girls of troop 311 hope to collect 400 bottles of shampoo to go into comfort kits for hundreds of homeless veterans in the Sacramento/Galt area.
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They served our country in times of peace and in times of war. Unfortunately, despite their service, current population estimates suggest that about 154,000 veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night, and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year.
To combat this sad statistic, the "Stand Down for Veterans" was organized by a small group of veterans in 1988 in San Diego. Since then, Stand Downs have been used as an effective tool in reaching out to homeless veterans.
The Sacramento "Stand Down for Veterans" will be held Sept. 12-13 at Camp Pollock in Sacramento. It is a three-day period each year when Sacramento-area homeless veterans and their dependents are brought to, or come in off the streets, and are provided housing, food and TLC. Sacramento Food Link provides food, and a limited amount of support from the Veterans Administration and the California Department of Veterans Affairs, helps defray costs. However, most all of the funding is in the form of donations from veterans organizations and community-based organizations. All the planning and working at the Stand Down is performed by volunteers.
Described as a giving a hand up, not a hand out, this event provides a safe weekend for homeless veterans to receive basic services, such as food and access to bathing facilities, and also brings together resources to remove barriers to employment that face many. From free haircuts to a full onsite court complete with a judge who can hear misdemeanor cases so that legal matters can be addressed, the weekend is a terrific opportunity for homeless veterans to seek the resources they need to make changes for the better.
Galt's history of helping with the Stand Down is strong. Iraqi war veteran, Galt Mayor Andrew Meredith's father, Larry Meredith, also a veteran, donated his time and effort to the event by providing electrical and public announcement services. After he passed away five years ago, his wife Jo Meredith and sister-in-law Tracey Gross decided they would keep his tradition going by volunteering their time to the event.
"Jo wanted to keep Larry in Stand Down because it was so dear to his heart," said Gross.
At the end of every August, they swing into action, collecting items that will be donated to the veterans. This year they enlarged the volunteer network by inviting Girl Scout Troop 311 to conduct a shampoo drive in Galt. The girls are working hard to achieve their goal of 400 bottles to donate, and say that the community has been very supportive.
Junior Girl Scout Mia Thornton is leading the project and has gone door to door, held sales at storefronts and gave her plea at last night's Galt City Council meeting.
Donations are still being collected for comfort kits, which contain a small soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush and a towel. According to Gross, there is also a special need for larger sized men's clothing. If you would like to donate any of these items, please call Tracey Gross at 209-603-4801. For donations of shampoo, please call Girl Scout leader Judy Hunt at 209-745-0275.
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