An event next week aims to offer a “hand up, not a hand out” to local veterans and their families in time for Thanksgiving.

On Monday, 150 turkey baskets will be given away to veterans and their families from 9am to 2pm at the Livingston County EMS building on Tooley Road in Howell Township as part of a “Harvest for Heroes” event. It was started locally after it was discovered a large number of veterans in the county were going without thanksgiving meals and the baskets will be given out on a first come, first serve basis.

Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Chapter 9 Regional Coordinator Josh Parish says it’s a collaborative effort with Livingston County Veterans Services and the local Disabled American Veterans Chapter. Parish says the goal is to bring the community together to support veterans and thank them for their service - without making them potentially feel ashamed about coming to pick up a turkey basket. In addition to the turkey baskets, students at Voyager Elementary in Howell have written letters to veterans thanking them for service. Parish says a lot of veterans are very proud, along with their family members, so it’s hard for them to ask for any type of assistance. He says they wanted to get the community involved in the effort and that’s one of the reasons he contacted the school.

In addition to the turkey baskets, prizes and giveaways will be taking place during the event and resource tables will be set up. Parish says resource tables will be on hand from Ann Arbor VA, as well as the federal and state government to answer questions. He says the tables will provide services around four core “pillars” or four core problems that veterans and family members face when a military man or woman transitions from active duty service over to the civilian side: education, employment, healthcare and quality of life. Parish says per the U.S. Department of Treasury, data shows that veterans are 50% more likely to have unclaimed funds through federal government because they move around so much. He noted a veteran could be eligible for healthcare and get signed up for that or different things such as disability compensation.

Registration for “Harvest for Heroes” can be done through Eventbrite, which Parish says is preferred if they are interested in learning about future events. The link is provided. (JM)