OCW delivers jaw-dropping donation
In her role as chief of Voluntary Services at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Philadelphia Medical Center (VAMC), Melissa Heinlein has had several positive experiences with local Legion posts donating time and volunteer hours at the facility.
But that was before Heinlein had any idea a national program like The American Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) existed.
In conjunction with the Legion’s Veterans Benefits Center this week at the Philadelphia VAMC, OCW made a sizable donation to the facility’s programs. The scope of the donation was shocking to Heinlein.
“Our local American Legion has done a great job supporting the Philadelphia VA over the years, but I was not aware on a national level the magnitude of what they’re willing to do and able to do,” Heinlein said. “My mouth dropped. I was like ‘I’ll send you a needs list, but I’m not quite sure what you’re doing to do with it. (OCW Director James Ellison) came back and (said), ‘I’ll get you whatever you need. That’s really overwhelming for us to be the recipients of this.”
By the time Ellison was set to leave Philadelphia, nearly $15,000 in items were going to be donated: clothing, VA canteen gift books, board games, DVD, portable DVD players, household items and baby supplies.
The items were donated to the Philadelphia VAMC, the facility’s HUD-VASH program, and to Snyder House, VA’s 40-bed facility offering transitional services for veterans.
“When organizations such as The American Legion do a donation like this … the magnitude of the lives you’re going to touch is immeasurable,” Heinlein said. “So many lives are going to be impacted, from the smallest things – from socks to someone who is moving into a new apartment and doesn’t have anything. That set of pots and pans is going to mean the world to them. So every item becomes so priceless to the veteran who’s going to receive them.”
Heinlein said she’d reach out to OCW again “in a heartbeat. I think what happens with Voluntary Services and service organizations (is) we’re all connectors. So now I just feel we have another extension to be able to meet veterans’ needs.”
