Hundreds of residents of the city and beyond responded Saturday to a call for donations to help formerly homeless veterans by bringing a wide variety of household items to a collection staged at Stanly Park Saturday. The items which will be distributed by Homeward Vets to veterans who may be struggling to furnish new apartments.
Homeward Vets is an organization founded by Southampton residents David and Lisa Felty to help homeless veterans who have managed, with the help of various programs, to rent apartments of their own.
“We had an awesome Saturday,” Felty said this morning. “We pulled four, no five, pickup loads out of there. It turned out very well.”
Felty said that he and his wife, who works for a Northampton based program which helps veterans find housing, found that many times veterans move off the streets into an empty apartment and wind up sleeping on the floor because they have no furniture nor means to buy any.
Since 2009, Felty said, he and his wife have been collecting unwanted and discarded furniture and furnishings, and after fixing and cleaning the items, distributing them to the veterans in need.
On Saturday, local residents were asked to bring serviceable small appliances and kitchen supplies to a collection event staged at Stanly Park.
Robert McKean, the executive director of the park, said this morning that the response was “absolutely fantastic.” He said that “hundreds came” to support the vets.
“The people were great, they came forward to help the veterans” McKean said. He said that he was impressed not only by the quantity of items donated by also by their quality and variety of the contributions.
“People brought complete sets (of kitchen ware), not just junk,” he said. “Things that people could actually use to set up their apartment when they get one.”
McKean also said that, although the call was for kitchen supplies, many other items were donated.
“You name it, they brought it” he said.
He said that many televisions were collected, as well as couches and furniture.
And, cash donations were also collected.
McKean said that a group of Corvette enthusiasts from Connecticut came to the event Saturday with items to deliver as well as a cash donation.
“I was just overwhelmed” he said.
Felty said that he plans another collection soon and said that anybody who missed Saturday’s collection may call his office at 413-203-1479 or go to homewardvets.org to learn more about the next opportunity to donate to the veterans.
