Homeless Veterans Support Team Az
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Arizona Homeless Veterans Support Team
Months ago I had been watching tents spring-up on the other side of the freeway off ramp in Mesa, Arizona. Curiosity finally got the best of my wife and me. So we followed a dirt road that took us atop a hill where tents, old camp trailers and broken down motorhomes were located. They had a campfire set up with guys and gals sitting around just shooting the bull.
Someone came to greet us so we asked what was going on. It was explained to us that a group of Homeless Veterans and Homeless people were camped out along the Salt River Bottom. ..... WHAT?...... We hear about this stuff on the news all the time however for my wife and me, it just became real.
We had Veterans that fought for our country so we could maintain the freedoms we all enjoy, not getting the help they needed from the taxes we pay to our government. ...... This is crazy........ Guys with missing limbs, others suffering from addictions, guys with wheelchairs, walkers and all sort of sickness (coughs, flu and colds) we could not believe what we saw. We could not believe our great country would allow this to happen to our Veterans. We are the greatest country in the world. These men and women paid the PRICE!!!!
So my wife and I committed to do what we could to help these folks that we were indebted too. We are both retired so we committed to devote as much time as we could to help our heroes and the homeless in our area. This camp was no more than five miles from our home.
We started by making soup twice a week and fed anywhere between 20 to 40 folks. Then my wife knew an angel that worked at Costco. She began giving us food leftovers used for samples. She would fill-up the back seat of my Mega Cab Dodge pick-up and load water and other items in the bed of the truck. She has been a Godsend.
We were getting donations from many people within our circle of friends, family and church. We took nurse Jared out to the site to check the health of the folks. ...... We once again were hit in the face with the reality of the situation. ...... Broken bones, cancer, bad teeth, skin cracking and infected from poor to no personal hygiene. This is crazy.
There were Vets that should have been in the hospital. As we shook tent poles to visit each one that needed help, we came across a vet nickname Twelve Strings. Twelve Strings has cancer, diabetes and other ailments. . He told us that the the Veteran Hospital wants to cut his lower legs off.
Twelve Strings is a great guy that plays the guitar to people that visit. As we talked with Twelve Strings, his eyes fill with tears and emotion and he pleaded to us..... all he wanted was a roof over his head, clean clothes, a shower and a bed so he could die with some dignity. It broke our hearts.
We found out that some of these folks had not showered in five months let alone how long its been since they have had clean clothes.
We posted the photo's of nurse Jared visiting with some of the vets. It spread over FB like wild fire. Many wanted to help, then a "GoFundMe" account was suggested to be set up. It was a great idea.
We have been funding all of our efforts with our roofing company Arizona Roofing Systems and other donations. Our children now run the company. I can't ask them to purchase a self-contained shower and laundry trailer. So we are asking for donations for the following:
1. Purchase self-contained trailer with showers, laundry facilities and possible exam room.
2. Reserve funds to maintain and hire driver to deliver trailer on schedule stops to the different homeless camps.
3. Buy medical supplies as needed.
I can't tell how much this will mean to people that need our help. I am no one special...... Just a guy in a truck that stopped at a campsite off the side of the road. My wife and I can’t stand how our veterans have been treated. We are going to do SOMETHING about it. Hopefully with your help also.......
If you can spare a dime, please send it our way. My wife and I will put it to some good work. God Bless you....
Please share this request with your friends.
Months ago I had been watching tents spring-up on the other side of the freeway off ramp in Mesa, Arizona. Curiosity finally got the best of my wife and me. So we followed a dirt road that took us atop a hill where tents, old camp trailers and broken down motorhomes were located. They had a campfire set up with guys and gals sitting around just shooting the bull.
Someone came to greet us so we asked what was going on. It was explained to us that a group of Homeless Veterans and Homeless people were camped out along the Salt River Bottom. ..... WHAT?...... We hear about this stuff on the news all the time however for my wife and me, it just became real.
We had Veterans that fought for our country so we could maintain the freedoms we all enjoy, not getting the help they needed from the taxes we pay to our government. ...... This is crazy........ Guys with missing limbs, others suffering from addictions, guys with wheelchairs, walkers and all sort of sickness (coughs, flu and colds) we could not believe what we saw. We could not believe our great country would allow this to happen to our Veterans. We are the greatest country in the world. These men and women paid the PRICE!!!!
So my wife and I committed to do what we could to help these folks that we were indebted too. We are both retired so we committed to devote as much time as we could to help our heroes and the homeless in our area. This camp was no more than five miles from our home.
We started by making soup twice a week and fed anywhere between 20 to 40 folks. Then my wife knew an angel that worked at Costco. She began giving us food leftovers used for samples. She would fill-up the back seat of my Mega Cab Dodge pick-up and load water and other items in the bed of the truck. She has been a Godsend.
We were getting donations from many people within our circle of friends, family and church. We took nurse Jared out to the site to check the health of the folks. ...... We once again were hit in the face with the reality of the situation. ...... Broken bones, cancer, bad teeth, skin cracking and infected from poor to no personal hygiene. This is crazy.
There were Vets that should have been in the hospital. As we shook tent poles to visit each one that needed help, we came across a vet nickname Twelve Strings. Twelve Strings has cancer, diabetes and other ailments. . He told us that the the Veteran Hospital wants to cut his lower legs off.
Twelve Strings is a great guy that plays the guitar to people that visit. As we talked with Twelve Strings, his eyes fill with tears and emotion and he pleaded to us..... all he wanted was a roof over his head, clean clothes, a shower and a bed so he could die with some dignity. It broke our hearts.
We found out that some of these folks had not showered in five months let alone how long its been since they have had clean clothes.
We posted the photo's of nurse Jared visiting with some of the vets. It spread over FB like wild fire. Many wanted to help, then a "GoFundMe" account was suggested to be set up. It was a great idea.
We have been funding all of our efforts with our roofing company Arizona Roofing Systems and other donations. Our children now run the company. I can't ask them to purchase a self-contained shower and laundry trailer. So we are asking for donations for the following:
1. Purchase self-contained trailer with showers, laundry facilities and possible exam room.
2. Reserve funds to maintain and hire driver to deliver trailer on schedule stops to the different homeless camps.
3. Buy medical supplies as needed.
I can't tell how much this will mean to people that need our help. I am no one special...... Just a guy in a truck that stopped at a campsite off the side of the road. My wife and I can’t stand how our veterans have been treated. We are going to do SOMETHING about it. Hopefully with your help also.......
If you can spare a dime, please send it our way. My wife and I will put it to some good work. God Bless you....
Please share this request with your friends.
Organizer
Chris Lundahl
Organizer
Mesa, AZ
