Operation Help-A-Hero Household Goods Collection Drive for Homeless Vets Starts Memorial Day

CHICAGO, IL -- Operation Help-A-Hero, a citywide household item collection drive to assist formerly homeless veterans moving to permanent housing. Starting Memorial Day, May 29, and running until the Fourth of July, residents can donate store bought products for a formerly homeless veteran at one of over 60 designated drop-off locations throughout the city.

Led by Alderman O’Shea and the 19th Ward, the Operation Help-A-Hero drive includes partnerships between aldermanic ward offices, the Chicago Park District and Military Outreach USA, a faith based non-profit organization supporting those who have served in the United States’ armed services

Last year’s inaugural collection drive raised $500,000 worth of goods to help formerly homeless veteran. The items help assist thousands of veterans to successfully live independently. O’Shea is calling on residents to participate in the collection drive by dropping off new cleaning products, kitchen supplies, toiletries and other items at their local ward offices or at one of 14 participating park district locations.

>>> Collection Drive Helps Formerly Homeless Vets Turn Empty Apartments into Homes

“Many of our veterans are living without basic necessities that you and I take for granted,” the alderman said. “Operation Help-a-Hero is a simple but effective way for all Chicagoans to address that problem and show our veterans the respect and appreciation they deserve.”

All donations will be collected by Military Outreach USA, and will be distributed by the Jesse Brown Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center. A list of the most commonly requested items can be found at Operation Help-A-Hero.

For formerly homeless individuals to successfully maintain permanent housing, it is critical that they receive support, including some basic items to live independently, said Joe Palmer, a Vietnam War veteran and executive director of the faith-based veterans organization.

“If we can initially give veterans household items to help them out they can spend their money on other things, like paying utilities, buying food or paying for transportation to get to a job or hospital,” Palmer added.

This effort builds on the city’s Ending Veteran’s Homelessness Initiative, through which the city has housed more than 2,200 formerly homeless veterans. Through the initiative, the city is working hard to create a system where any episode of homelessness is rare and brief.

Visit Operation Help-A-Hero for more information and a complete list of drop off locations.

PHOTO: U.S. Marine Corporal Robin Littleat last year's inaugural Operation Help-A-Hero household good collection drive.