Statewide labor of love for displaced veterans

When Tropical Storm Helene slammed into western North Carolina, AARP volunteer leaders and staff all across the state were anxious to help. Many ideas were proposed, but it was a single photograph in the Citizen Times of the devastation of a veterans housing site in Swannanoa, one of the hardest hit towns, that spoke most powerfully of the tremendous need in the Mountain Region.

“We had to choose among our many target groups who were immediately affected by the storm,” said Rebecca Chaplin, AARP Associate State Director for the Mountain Region.

“We decided to devote our time and resources to our local veterans and military families and their caregivers, some of whom were already out in the community, selflessly helping others with their recovery,” she said.

Finding useful items in a hurry was the first order of business. Amazingly, the region’s storage unit yielded several AARP promotional items, including headlamps, waterproof bags, storm kits, and hand sanitizers. The only cash outlay was for 75 pairs of warm socks.

Getting local volunteers to assemble the bags was even easier: nine people participated in a morning of service where they quickly assembled 75 care packages. The packages also included a Veterans Day card written by a staff member or volunteer from around the state.

Chaplin said, "This labor of love came from the entire state. But AARP as a whole supports veterans everyday, whether it is providing information about caregiving resources, health benefits, fraud prevention, or even home modifications, AARP honors their service veterans."

She encourges veterans and military families to visit the AARP Veterans website to find resources and information around VA benefits, health, caregiving, fraud and employment for retired and active-duty military and their families.