They served our country to keep us safe. But currently, countless veterans in the Milwaukee area are unsafe, in the cold, and without a warm bed to call their own.
Monday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett dropped by the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative with thousands of dollars worth of beds to help fight the problem.
A U-Haul transformed into a Christmas sleigh Monday afternoon. Stuffed with a special surprise - “mattresses, pillows, blankets, all sorts of things to help veterans here in the Milwaukee area,” said Barrett.
The Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative will then take donations and set up homes for homeless veterans and their families. They’ve done that for more than 300 families already this year. But Executive Director Kirsten Sobieski fears no one knows for sure how many military heroes are still on the streets in our community.
“So many of them are sleeping in cars. It’s heartbreaking to know many people are not sleeping in a warm bed, especially out in this cold and that's why a donation like this is just so amazing,” said Sobieski.
It’s also very needed. Sobieski hopes to have this week’s donations with their new families in just a few weeks.
“As quickly as things come in they are going on trucks and going right back out,” said Sobieski.
Mayor Tom Barrett’s donation will help them get through the winter. But there were some challenging times this year.
“There are times we are afraid, yes. We've run out of pillows, we sometimes run out of blankets,” said Sobieski.
The mayor and everyone who worked to pull off this Christmas miracle hopes others will join them to make sure, that doesn’t happen again.
“We are happy to help those people who helped us as Americans have the freedoms that we have,” said Barrett.
The organization is always in need of everyday items, like toiletries, to help the program running. If you would like to donate, click here.
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