One thing that makes our country the incredible land that it is is the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our freedom and protect us. Sometimes, these veterans sustain injuries in the line of duty that they carry with them for the rest of their lives. Often, wounded veterans struggle to find the support they need to lead successful lives when they return from service.
While you and I may not ever make the sacrifices that our veterans make on our behalf, we can do our part by helping disabled veterans live out the lives they deserve. If you are interested in doing this, but aren’t sure where to begin, we’ve put together a list of ways that anyone can contribute to our great country by helping disabled veterans in need.
Five Ways to Contribute to Our Country By Helping Disabled Veterans
- Make donations to wounded veterans charities.
When you’re clearing out your closet, there’s any number organizations who are happy to take your castoffs off your hands. However, opting to make clothing donations for veterans is a great way to make a big impact on the people who serve and protect us. When you donate used goods to a cause that supports our country’s heroes, you are helping disabled veterans in a variety of ways. First of all, you literally put clothing on the back of a wounded veteran. Second of all, many of these organizations have resale thrift stores that convert your unwanted goods into cash that can be used to meet any number of veterans’ needs. Win-win. - Offer your skills to help a veteran.
Maybe you don’t have goods to donate, or money that can be used to support a wounded veteran, but you probably have some sort of skill that could improve the life of an American hero. For example, if your career is in the tech field, offering computer support to a veteran would be an enormous help to them. Even if you don’t have a career that would be useful to a veteran in need, your elbow grease and enormous muscles can be put to good use. Contact your local Veterans’ Association to see if you can do some yard work, house cleaning, errand running, or so on, to make a disabled veteran’s life better. - Organize a donation drive.
Rallying your friends, co-workers, and family to support the veterans in your area is an amazing way to give back! Talking to a representative with your local Veteran’s Association is a good first step in this process. They often have a list of toiletries and supplies that they use to help veterans in need readily available. Sometimes their greatest needs are incredibly easy to fulfill; many veteran’s charities need sample-size soap and shampoo bottles (think: hotel samples) to support the hygiene needs of veterans they work with. By organizing a donation drive, you multiply the helping-power and difference you make ten-fold. - Give the gift of quality time.
It is a heartbreaking fact that when a disabled veteran is in a long-term healthcare facility, they often spend many days alone, which can be unbearably lonely. By taking the time to visit nursing homes for veterans, you might become the shining highlight in their days. Your visits don’t require much; you can offer to play games or read to the residents, or hold a conversation. Just taking the time to show them that they matter to you costs you nothing but might mean the world to a disabled veteran. - Make a veteran’s day in a small way.
If you want to make a personal connection with a veteran, keep a small token of your gratitude handy to give out when you cross paths. Perhaps it’s a gift card for coffee and a small thank-you note, or just the money to cover the dinner of a veteran you happen to see while dining out. These small gestures to say thank you to the men and women who were willing to risk their lives for our great country is a wonderful way to show your appreciation and make their lives better.
Do you have any other great ideas for supporting disabled veterans? Please share in the comment section below! Read more articles like this.
