HELENA — Veterans around Montana will be getting support, thanks to the American Red Cross of Montana and the Montana VA Health Care System.
The Red Cross delivered more than 800 items to the VA Medical Center at Fort Harrison on Thursday -- a significant donation for four VA programs.
The items include socks, gloves, sweatshirts and other clothes for homeless veterans; baby shampoo and other care items for new mothers in the VA’s Women Veterans Program; puzzles, models and craft kits for recreational therapy; and cooking equipment for a cooking therapy program.
“We worked together to make sure that we got what would be very helpful in the programs they manage,” said Sara Cease, the regional manager for the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces program. “Being able to bring nice things – comfort items – is amazing.”
The Red Cross purchased the items through a grant from the Department of Defense and they’ll now be distributed all over Montana.
The Montana VA and Red Cross have been working together for years. Leaders say this was one of the largest donations through the partnership since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they hope to make more like this in the future.
Amy Claridge, the Montana VA’s acting chief of voluntary service, said the donations are valued around $3,300. She said support like this shows the importance of the work these organizations do together.
“We can’t express our gratitude enough,” said Claridge. “The help this will give to our veterans and our families is huge. These will touch veterans across the state of Montana, from here to the Hi-Line and back again.”
If you’d like to support this program, you can contribute to the American Red Cross of Montana. You can send a check to:
1300 28th Street South
Great Falls, MT 59405
You can mark your check “SAF” or “Service to the Armed Forces” on the Memo line to indicate where you want the money directed.
You can also donate online by going to the Red Cross website, clicking on the “Donate” button, and choosing “Your Local Red Cross” in the ‘I Want to Support” drop-down menu.
