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ASHLAND Veterans had a four-hour window to stop by Central Park on a warm, sunny day for resources, food, haircuts and more on Wednesday.
The Volunteers of America conducted the annual Veteran Stand Down in Ashland from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Rebekah Stamper, Veterans Services Program Manager for the Volunteers of America, said this is the event’s third installment in the last five years. They had it in 2019 and 2022, but not in 2020 or 2021 because of COVID-19.
Multiple agencies made free resources available to veterans who stopped by.
Among the agencies were Shelter of Hope, Kentucky Homeplace, the VA Medical Center, the West Virginia Veterans Home, the Daughters of the American Revolution and more.
Charisma Salon gave free haircuts.
The Elks Lodge supplied food. Donato’s Pizza donated eight pizzas, too.
“Veterans like to come to these events,” Stamper said.
Dr. Amy Bess, a local veterinarian, provided preventative care to several animals owned by veterans.
Stamper said quite a few veterans and a good number of vendors were on hand Wednesday.
“They don’t have to be homeless,” she said.
Volunteers of America is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 that provides affordable housing and other assistance services to low-income people throughout the United States. Stamper has been with the organization for more than nine years.
Wednesday’s event was one of several Veteran Stand Downs throughout the region. Huntington had one recently. Pikeville and Prestonsburg are among eastern Kentucky towns that host these events, according to Stamper.
Stamper said Volunteers of America and several other agencies present on Wednesday are considered “one big team.”
“At the end of the day, it’s about taking care of veterans,” she said.
(606) 326-2664 |
asnyder@dailyindependent.com
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