PRESS RELEASE
HATTIESBURG, MISS. – This Veterans Day, members of the community gave back to those who’ve served our country by donating basic household items to help local veterans in need.
Volunteer Southeast Mississippi, a program of United Way of Southeast Mississippi, held a Veterans Day Supply Drive Nov. 11, 2021 outside of Target in Hattiesburg to collect items for low income and homeless veterans.
“We were made aware of this specific need and wanted to do something to give back to the veterans in our community, particularly those who are facing hardships,” said Ali Rogers, director for Volunteer Southeast Mississippi. “We’ve had a great response to the drive, both from volunteers who came out to donate their time working the table and from members of the community who gave donations. We love to see our community come together to care for those who have served our country.”
The items will be donated to the Supportive Services for Veteran Families of South Mississippi (SSVF), which is a program of Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources.
“We serve 500 very low-income veteran households per year in the southern half of Mississippi. When we are working with veterans who are literally homeless with nowhere to go, they generally lack the basic needs like food, clothes and water. Drives like this help us keep our pantry stocked so that we can take food [and essentials] to them at their first meeting while we get them connected to permanent housing,” said Amy Lyon, program coordinator for SSVF.
Several boxes of pantry food and household items were collected at the drive, including canned goods, boxed dinners, soap, paper towels and other basic necessities.
For other ways to support the work of SSVF, contact Amy Lyon at 601-545-3668 or email Amy.Lyon@pbmhr.org. To explore other volunteer opportunities and ways to give back this holiday season, visit unitedwaysems.org/volunteer.
ABOUT VOLUNTEER SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
Volunteer Southeast Mississippi (VSEMS) is the official volunteer center for United Way of Southeast Mississippi. VSEMS connects volunteers with meaningful service opportunities throughout neighboring communities. The center is a part of The Mississippi Hub Network for Nonprofits and Volunteers, serving the counties of Forrest, Lamar, Marion, Perry, Greene, Jones and Wayne.