According to tonight's 10news report, one third of all homeless people are veterans. Shocking! People who have given their lives to help protect America and they end up on the streets. This simply should not be.
This weekend (July 16th, 17th & 18th) the 23rd Stand Down for Veterans event will take place in San Diego. For three days, some 1, 000 or so veterans who live on the streets struggling to survive and to make sense of their now shattered lives will be treated as royalty -- well almost.
A group of volunteers who will do all they can to pamper these homeless vets -- many of whom were in Afghan or Iraq and were deployed a few too many times, leaving them soul-scarred and perhaps bodily wounded also. Volunteers will bring their talents to the table and the vets will be treated to dental treatment, back rubs, haircuts, counseling, food, warm clothing and much more.
Tents have been set up to cater to these San Diego homeless veterans for this three-day-event. Some homeless vets have been waiting outside since Monday. All eagerly look forward to being treated with care and affection and understand and compassion -- to being regarding as important and precious -- you might say, "just as Jesus sees them."
3, 000 volunteers are expected to be there, but there's always room for more. Information here.
After all, didn't Jesus tell us to reach out to the poor and homeless (Proverbs 19:17, Isaiah 58:6-11, Mark 9:41 )?
Janey L. DeMeo M.A.
Copyright (c) July 2010
Comments
Not one homeless veteran will get housing with KEYS & PRIVACY at this Stand Down.
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