HALIFAX – A locally founded organization that helps homeless and at-risk veterans got a major funding boost Thursday.
Wounded Warriors Canada, which helps veterans who have been wounded or injured in service, presented VETS Canada with a $40,000 cheque.
“We are so excited today to make this presentation as part of our commitment to the wonderful work that VETS Canada has already done,” said Phil Ralph, the organization’s national program chairman. He said the money would also help in “ensuring this service is offered from coast to coast.”
Scott Maxwell, the executive director of Wounded Warriors Canada, said the announcement was not just about the money.
He said it was “about a partnership between two organizations that are going and believe in exactly the same thing.”
VETS Canada aims to help veterans who have not made successful transitions from their service careers to civilian lives, including some who have lost everything and are living on the streets.
Jim Lowther, the president and founder of VETS Canada, said those are the people his organization will try to help with the donation.
“Money that we get goes directly to the veteran,” he said. “We want to make sure the essentials — food, clothing, lodging — are taken care of right away.”
Since launching in Nova Scotia four years ago, VETS Canada has spread to every province across the country. The organization has helped more then 175 veterans get back on their feet, and operates solely on donations.
Ralph said even with Canada having withdrawn its military presence in Afghanistan, some of the veterans who were there will need help from organizations like his within the next decade.
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