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As the plight of so many disabled veterans continues to effect their professional lives and their ability to make ends meet, organizations like the Disabled Veterans National Foundation have done everything they can to help these vets make ends meet. On October 29th, the DVNF helped to deliver supplies from a full load of a semi truck, with a value estimated at $145,000.

“This project stretched our resources beyond our normal capacities,” said Jacob Roberson with Volunteers of America who arranged for the donation. “Volunteers of America is grateful to our partners North East Mobile Health Services, one of New England’s largest and most respected providers of medical transportation services, whose donation made it possible to ship, store and distribute these goods to needed veterans. In addition, reVision heat, a company that helps Mainers transition away from fossil fuels, donated trucks and drivers to make the deliveries possible.” Both are Maine companies.

The donated goods being delivered by Disabled Veterans National Foundation are being shipped to veterans at multiple locations across the state, including the Togus Stand Down event on Oct. 29 in Augusta.

Other distribution sites include Volunteers of America’s veterans’ programs, additional veterans’ programs across the state and the VA Maine Health Care System. Cumberland Self Storage located at 14 Maine Street at Fort Andross in Brunswick donated the storage space needed for the large shipment.

Volunteers of America Northern New England is a national, non-profit, spiritually based organization providing local human service programs and opportunities for individual and community involvement.

Volunteers of America is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of affordable housing for low-income seniors, families and persons with disabilities. Additional information is available on our website at www.voanne.org.

The Disabled Veterans National Foundation exists to change the lives of men and women who came home wounded or sick after defending our safety and our freedom. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

To discover a good deal more in relation to Disabled Veterans National Foundation, don’t hesitate to go to their site.

BRUNSWICK and TOGUS (October 27 and 29, 2011): Volunteers of America Northern New England and the disabled veterans national foundation are making critical supplies available at no cost to homeless veterans and veterans in need across Maine.

The donation – a full semi-truckload provided by the disabled veterans national foundation – included 874 cases of blankets, new clothes, underwear, hats, shampoo and body wash, bottled water, canvas bags, and more. The total value of this in-kind donation is estimated at $145,000. These items are in great need, especially as winter approaches.

MEDIA INVITATION: We invite you to join us at the Togus Stand Down on Saturday, October 29th as our volunteers and donors distribute these donated items to homeless veterans.

The Stand Down event is made possible across the country by the department of Veterans Affairs. The event, held at Togus, is an opportunity for Maine veterans to meet with many different experts on topics such as medical care, employment, housing, and other support with the goal of becoming independent.

Stand Down runs on October 29th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will be a ceremony at 9:00 a.m. to kick-off the event and it will begin winding down by 1:30 p.m. Opportunities for interviews with homeless veterans and participating members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation will be available. (A detailed flyer is attached.)

“This is an amazing donation – one of the largest ever made to homeless veterans in Maine,” said June Koegel, President and CEO or Volunteers of America.

“The need for these items is great. Coordinating their distribution is a perfect example of our mission to bring groups together to serve those in need. We are grateful to the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, our distribution partners and our volunteers for helping to make these items available free to Maine veterans. The future potential for additional donations has us very excited for Maine’s veterans.”

To learn increased about DVNF, you may want to to go to their websites.

The Disabled Veterans National Foundation delivered $118,000 worth of supplies to the Department of Veterans Affairs in Biloxi, MS. The DVNF shipments included water, blankets, hygiene products, clothing and hats.

Founded in 1932, the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System has been helping the men and women who have served our nation. The VA Gulf Coast Veterans HCS serves more than 50,000 veterans. The organization also provides support for counseling centers and VA cemeteries along the Gulf Coast as well as overall health care.

“DVNF is proud to help the veterans in the greater Biloxi region,” said Precilla Wilkewitz, President of DVNF. “The VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System has a terrific main facility that does so much to help thousands of veterans a year but it really is a system of care for the Gulf Coast.”

The VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System offers emergency department services 24 hours a day, dental care, extended care with home nursing visits as well as hospital inpatient services.

“We are truly grateful to our many supporters who enable us to be able to send these needed shipments to veterans all over this country and we know the supplies will be put to good use helping thousands of veterans in Biloxi,” said Wilkewitz.

DVNF was founded in the fall of 2007 by six women veterans and State Women Veterans Coordinators to expand their scope of work within the veteran’s community.

Having spent over twenty years focusing on women veteran’s issues, the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan brought forth the rising need to help returning wounded and disabled veterans.

This exacerbated and already over worked and strained VA hospitals and care network that was struggling to keep up with the many surviving veterans of past conflicts and service. For more information go to the company’s website.

To learn more about DVNF go to www.dvnf.org.

The Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) wishes to congratulate the organizers of “Operation Stand Down” in Nashville, the primary nonprofit resource for veterans in Middle Tennessee.

The DVNF was honored to be invited to participate in the event held October 22 to 24. At this event, and the week prior in Knoxville, the DVNF distributed over $343,000 worth of goods to area veterans.

“Being there, looking these brave men and women in the eyes, and personally handing them goods DVNF made available was amazing,” said Raegan Rivers, DVNF’s Chief Administrative Officer. “Hundreds of veterans were on hand to receive aid.”

Operation Stand Down events take place in communities all across America and typically run one to three days. They provide goods and services to homeless veterans including food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, VA and Social Security benefits counseling, employment and substance abuse treatment.

The first Stand Down event was held in 1988 by a group of Vietnam veterans in San Diego and since then these events have reached well over 200,000 veterans and their families. The term “Stand Down” refers to the long-held tradition among military commanders to provide for their troops a place of refuge in time of war.

“We are honored to be invited to these major veterans’ events,” said Precilla Wilkewitz, President of the Disabled Veterans National Foundation. “These events make a big difference in the daily lives of veterans and we were proud to participate.” To date, DVNF has provided goods and services to over 40,000 U.S. veterans.

About the Disabled Veterans National Foundation

DVNF, a nonprofit 501c3, was founded in the fall of 2007 by six women veterans to expand their scope of work within the veteran’s community. The Trustees, with over twenty years of combined work focusing on issues facing women veterans, realized the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan brought forth a rising need to help returning wounded and disabled veterans.

To learn more about DVNF go to www.dvnf.org.

The Disabled Veterans National Foundation is pleased to announce more than $70,000 of support given to Veterans Empowering Veterans based in Fayetteville, NC. This DVNF delivery included emergency blankets, furniture, candy and personal hygiene products for veterans living in transitional housing.

The programs at Veterans Empowering Veterans help veterans and their families find housing, receive household items, food, clothing and sundry items. The group also ‘empowers’ veterans to look for jobs and enroll in school to continue their education.

“It is programs like Veterans Empowering Veterans in Fayetteville that DVNF aims to support as they provide direct veterans services and support,” said Precilla Wilkewitz, President of DVNF.

“Much like the name suggests, empowering our heroes is the right way to help them. So many of our Veterans who are disabled from their service need assistance they are not getting elsewhere, and often need to be empowered to get the help they need to improve their lives and the lives of their families.”

The Veterans Empowering Veterans group is planning to offer veterans two kinds of housing assistance designed to give them a healthy and safe environment and place to live for up to 24 months or longer. The goals of their Transitional Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing are to help formerly homeless Veterans live in settings where they receive daily meals and support to be a contributing part of the community.

The Disabled Veterans National Foundation is a national foundation dedicated to serving those who have served the United States.

While focusing on disabled, homeless, and women Veterans, the organization works daily to provide resources and services to those who have come home to find themselves in need.

Founded in 2007, the organization is housed in Washington D.C. Funded by donors, the organization provides assistance to shelters, partner organizations, and directly to Veterans who apply for grants.

To learn more about Disabled Veterans National Foundation go to www.dvnf.org.