SOUTHWICK – The One Call Away Foundation in Southwick is taking part in helping veterans who may be in need.
Dave Sutton, Founder of the One Call Away Foundation, a non-profit that helps with PTSD awareness and prevention of veteran’s suicide, is assisting the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation.
A few of the One Call Away Foundation buckets are show in a vehicle before being transported to local police departments. (Photo from Dave Sutton)
A state-wide non-profit organization that provides programs, services, and goods to active duty members of the military in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation is made up of several smaller non-profit organizations like the One Call Away Foundation.
The One Call Away Foundation is helping their parent organization distribute buckets of supplies to homeless veterans or veterans who are in distress and in need. The process involves distributing the buckets to police departments throughout the state.
Locally, Sutton has represented the One Call Away Foundation by recently delivering the buckets to police departments in Westfield, Southwick, and Southampton, as well as the Massachusetts State Police Barracks in Russell.
Partnering with Ocean State Job Lot, Home Depot, and the New England Patriots, each bucket includes a hat, gloves, coat, scarf, hand warmers, a box of cookies, trail mix, shampoo, tooth paste, toothbrush, and hand sanitizer. The bucket also consists of a heavy winter jacket that was donated by the New England Patriots.
Southwick Police officer Mike Westcott and Lt. Robert Landis are seen with the items that will go in the buckets to give to homeless veterans. (Photo from Dave Sutton)
Once the buckets are brought to the police departments, officers can put them in their cruisers and have them ready to give out while on patrol if they happen to see a homeless veteran.
“It happens more than you think,” said Sutton. “They (law enforcement) have these buckets available to give to them on the spot.”
Police departments are responding well to the buckets they have been provided.
“It’s great for us to have those assets to hand out,” said Southwick Police Lt. Robert Landis of the five buckets his department was given. “It’s good having that asset for us.”
According to Sutton, there have already been at least 40 buckets distributed to police departments and there is a total of about 250 buckets that will get delivered.
Similar to a lot of what the One Call Away Foundation does on a regular basis, the hope is that the buckets will help veterans who are in desperate need of the basic things most people always have.
“It’s very heartwarming what we do,” said Sutton. “To be able to do something to put a smile on their face, it goes a long way.”
