We've updated this article to include the original Supply Crate request and a tweet from the Veterans Community Project, and a thank you to Moechey, who sponsored the crate.
Supply Crate request from Daniel, our Stack Lead in Kansas City:
Hello, I am submitting this request on behalf of the Veterans Community Project in Kansas City, MO. They are helping to provide homes for homeless Veterans in the KC area and helping them get back on their feet and back to living productive lives. The community consists of a Veteran Outreach Center which serves as a one-stop-shop for veterans needs. The second part being the Village which consists currently of 49 tiny homes to house the veterans that live on site. Residents range from Veterans of the Korean war to our current generation of Veterans who supported operations including OEF. The village has a community where the Veterans can come to relax and get some additional services. It features a meeting hall that has plenty tables, chairs and a television for activities. This was set up at the end of 2019 so did not see much use in 2020. With Stack Up’s help with a supply crate this common area could be furnished with some gaming equipment that could be used for on-site events and some R&R for village residents during the week. Stack Up and the VCP have common goal of taking care of our Veterans and the services both organizations offer complement each other well. Thank you for your time and consideration.
From Community Manager, Liz:
In December, the Kansas City Stack hosted our Holiday event. This year we came out to spread some holiday cheer with another fantastic organization that is serving our Veterans who have fallen on hard times, the Veterans Community Project. This organization is helping take a holistic approach to engage the issue of Veteran homelessness by providing a place to live with their tiny homes and equipping Veterans with services and skills to help them thrive once they leave the VCP. We had the opportunity to visit earlier in the year for a tour and came back to conduct a service project to help with some expansions that are currently taking place. We were blown away by the support they are offering and felt Stack Up's mission complements the support already being offered. So, we put into work a plan to surprise these Veterans with a nice holiday event.
We were very fortunate to have Liz from headquarters attend this event with us. During our visit, we were able to go on a guided tour of the facilities and see some of the additions that have been added, including a labyrinth that the Vets can walkthrough to help with their mental wellbeing. Additionally, we received some insights about the level of detail and care that goes into furnishing each of the 49 tiny homes located in the VCP Village. Each one is tailored to the Veteran that will be residing in it. After our tour, we continued with our holiday event. We set up a hot chocolate bar and snacks for this event for everyone.
Additionally, thanks to the support of our generous Stacks volunteers, we were able to provide live music for the event and a photographer to help capture some of our visit. Everyone really seemed to enjoy the holiday tunes, and some of the Veterans even joined in singing. We had the chance to sit down and talk a bit with the staff and residents, and it is clear that passionate people are carrying out the work done here, and the impacts are resounding.
Last but not least we were able to carry out a presentation for everyone. We talked about Stack Up's programs and how we are creating a community for Veterans and combating the mounting mental health issues facing our Veterans. We wrapped up our presentation by presenting the organization with a Supply Crate. The VCP's Community Hall will now be furnished with a Nintendo Switch and some board games for the Veterans to help decompress and bond together. This certainly sparked some additional conversation with the staff, and it looks like our Stack will be coming back to host some game nights at the VCP in the coming year. A special thanks to the VCP for hosting us and to all the volunteers who helped make it a special event.
Moechey (aka Shinokoreh), who has long been with Stack Up, sponsored the Supply Crate we got out to the Veteran's Community Project! Thanks for all you have been doing out there, Moechey.