The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System hosted a stand down for homeless veterans March 30 in the Veterans Courtyard at the C.W. Bill Young VAMC campus. Hundreds of veterans were provided with a broad range of necessities including food; clothing; medical, legal and mental health assistance; job counseling and referrals; and companionship and camaraderie. As in years past, St. Petersburg Lodge hosted a table and handed out 500 double-layered fleece blankets. The blankets were made during the course of the 2018-2019 lodge year by Kat Chaplin and other lodge members. The lodge held multiple fundraisers throughout the year and received donations from members and the lodge’s Ladies of Elks organization to purchase fleece material at a cost of $19,200.
Pictured at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System’s veterans stand down March 30 are St. Petersburg Lodge members Debbie Rase, Kat Chaplin and Cathy Sosa.