Our branch office in Grayson, KY has been so busy and so blessed! We rely heavily on our volunteers and our communities to keep our life-changing work going. Volunteers are worth their weight in gold! If you have free time, come by one of our offices and help out! There are always things to be done! Recently, Save A Lot in Grayson, KY donated 230 food bags for our Freedom Food Pantry. This is huge for the veteran community. This means they will keep food on their tables and in their bellies this holiday season. The gentleman in the photos is one of our favorite volunteers. He is a veteran and he is always around the office, helping with anything that needs to be done. We are so grateful for him! Thank you Bob and thank you Save A Lot!

A wonderful gentleman that’s a veteran out of Georgia called our branch office in Grayson, KY, and desperately needed help. His truck broke down in Ashland, KY on his way to Colorado to get a transfusion. Amazingly, only 24% of his heart works. Even more amazing than that is that he died for 26 minutes and 17 seconds on June 26th, 2017 leaving him with a Traumatic Brain Injury. He spent all his money fixing his truck to get him to his life-saving treatment and had nothing left to finish getting him to the Hospital in Colorado. He said no matter what life throws at him he will survive and get through it. We got him a $200.00 visa to help him with his journey to a better heart. He is 72 years old. How incredibly brave of him to make this trip alone and in the condition he is in. He was so grateful for what we did for him and amazed by all the great things we do for Veterans.

Our Veterans’ Outreach branch office in Hartselle, AL received a wonderful donation from the Elk’s Club in Decatur, AL. They donated some wonderful hygiene items and non-perishables that we are so grateful for. This has not been an easy year, especially for veterans in need. Every donation counts and this donation came right at the right time.

Having community support from individuals and groups like this one is what keeps us going every single day. Without you, there is no tomorrow. Thank you Elk’s Club and everyone involved in pulling together this wonderful donation for our veterans in need.

Veterans’ Outreach hosted an Ohio Flags of Honor event in 2018.  It was a wonderful experience.  The traveling memorial honored fallen soldiers from Ohio since the war on terror began.  It was a weekend event.  On Friday morning, they arrived with their 895 flags and precisely planted flag holders in the ground with great care regarding spacing.  300 of those flags represented Ohio soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  The rest of the flags had been donated by supporters.

Friday evening hosted a beautiful ceremony that brought recognition and honor to every one of the fallen.  Their names were read, a bell was rung, and the flag was carried to its resting place for the weekend.  There was music to accompany the event that was somber and inspiring.  

The flags were left on display for the rest of the weekend for visitors to read the names of the fallen on the flagpoles.  On Sunday, there was a short ceremony and then a 300-helium balloon release to close the ceremony.

Ohio Flags of Honor held dozens of events across Ohio for many years and have now decided to close the organization.  Veterans’ Outreach hosted a final event a few days ago.  Gold Star families were given the flag that bears their loved one’s name.  The pain and loss don’t ever go away, but those flags really meant something to the families, and they were well received.

Thank you, Ohio Flags of Honor.