Volunteers show up in Pine Township to help veterans

Nathan Mallory says his organization, the Veterans Leadership Program, meets veterans “where they are.”

On Saturday, that happened to be at the Wood for Warriors event on Spruce Haven Road in Pine Township. It’s an area where several downed trees were cut into firewood that can be used for heating.

The veterans are very much in need, and that includes wood for heating, Mallory said, and the volunteers who showed up were there to make sure their needs are met.

The Veterans Leadership Program works with veterans who are experiencing homelessness, unemployment and underemployment. It provides emergency assistance to help veterans remain housed.

“A lot of times veterans just need a little bit of a helping hand. So, what we try to do, we can short-term house a veteran for up to 90 days,” Mallory said. “Housing is a huge part of our program. We help connect veterans to job opportunities. We can pay shut-off notices, we can pay mortgages to keep people in their house.

“From the Vietnam veterans returning home (in the 1970s) to the veterans of today returning home, the needs are different.”

The volunteers who showed up Saturday at the end of a street in the middle of Pine Township were determined to show veterans that they care about providing an opportunity to improve their lives.

The Wood for Warriors event involved roughly 10 people volunteering to load wood into trucks — taking wood from selected firewood racks and handing it to volunteers inside trucks for stacking. Many veterans use wood to heat their homes, according to Mallory.

Once a truck was full, another was loaded until the selected firewood racks were empty.

“To have an organization like this, we’re not putting people through a circus, they don’t have to fill out six applications. You’re saying ‘I see you, you’re not forgotten.’ I really so appreciate what you guys do. It does matter,” Mallory said.

In addition to providing wood for warriors, those who showed up such as Danielle Proctor, CEO of Advanced Construction Robotics has veterans on staff and is looking to hire more veterans in the robotics industry.

Bob Delucia with VETCycle is providing services for veterans who can make money by peddling customers around in the makeshift chariots. Delucia is an Army veteran and owns Star Limousine and Classy Cab Taxi Service. A VETcycle is designed to be driven by vets and serve as a viable alternative to public transportation, taxis, and personal vehicles.

Tony Ficarri with the Italian American War Veterans Association is connecting people like Mallory and Proctor with veterans in need.

Doug Miller with Serving our Sentinels Veterans Group, serves around 200 families yearly.

“We’re set up where we get a phone call at 5 p.m. for somebody that’s homeless and we have a bed for them by 6 o’clock.”