Michigan residents are being urged to volunteer in service of veterans as part of National Volunteer Week, running through April 29th.
John Kleindienst is the National Director of Voluntary Services for DAV. He said through local veteran assistance programs volunteers can help with a number of things. “Grocery shopping, running traditional errands for veterans in their community, doing yard work, painting veterans homes. Those are just a few needs that our volunteers can help with
Kleindienst said supporting service men and women is important. “It’s important for people to give back. Sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of day to day activity that we forget that there are folks out there who can’t do the things that they once could. It’s important that individuals give one hour of their time to start with that will cause them to get hooked on volunteering and maybe establish a great relationship with someone they maybe would not have come into contact with.”
He said beyond this week the DAV is always in need of volunteers for its transportation network program. “DAV operates a fleet of vehicles around the country that provides free transportation for veterans to and from their medical appointments at no cost. These vans are driven by volunteers and DAV helps coordinate the drivers as well as the rides. That’s a huge need in the veteran community right now.”
Kleindienst says last year in Michigan, veterans assistance programs logged 33-hundred hours of volunteer time.
For more information on how to volunteer visit volunteerforveterans.org