Macon County Community Foundation highlights all-volunteer nonprofit supporting veterans and their families
The Macon County Community Foundation recently visited grant recipient 828 Vets to learn more about the all-volunteer organization’s work supporting military veterans and their families.
The nonprofit located in Franklin, NC, offers auxiliary support to military veterans and their families. Aid provided by 828 Vets is supplementary to traditional assistance programs available to those who served our country. The organization’s volunteers are also veterans of the armed services.
MCCF first connected with 828 Vets in 2023, awarding the organization a grant for “Operation Basecamp” to help cover some of the expenses of purchase organization-owned tools and equipment. 828 Vets was previously relying on its volunteers’ personal toolkits to complete projects in aid of other veterans.
The kinds of support available to eligible veterans varies. For example, 828 Vets might help construct a ramp so a veteran can better access their home. In cases where a veteran may be lacking basic necessities like shelter or food, 828 Vets offers both immediate assistance and connections to other organizations that provide direct services related to the specific needs.
An undercurrent through the organization’s mission is a willingness and heart for veterans to serve veterans. 828 Vets lives into this through one of their many programs —offering an informal gathering space every Thursday morning for any veteran who wants to drop by to talk and or for emotional support
Be it a hands-on repair project, or a gathering to exchange tattered American flags for new ones, 828 Vets offers space to veterans to recapture the camaraderie they experienced during active duty. And all along the way, serving those who served them.
