×
X logo

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox.

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

You may opt-out anytime by clicking "unsubscribe" from the newsletter or from your account.

Veterans Receive Christmas Help from Moundsville Organization

Photo Provided Wheeling Elks Club members deliver food baskets to Helping Heroes in Moundsville this week. Participating, from left, are Pat Duffy, co-chairman for the West Virginia Elks Veterans Association; Helping Heroes case manager Nikki Dawson; and case manager John Martin.

Several community members and organizations joined together this month to make the Christmas season merry for local veterans and their families in need.

According to Helping Heroes’ co-founder and executive director, Susan Harrison, the organization received donations from the Wheeling chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, First Christian Church of Moundsville, Texas Roadhouse, the Benwood American Legion, the Wheeling Elks Lodge 28 and Dave and Tara Yonkins.

Susan Harrison assisted her husband, Jeremy, the organization’s chief operating officer, in creating Helping Heroes after his time serving in Iraq and working for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The primary goal of the nonprofit agency is to assist homeless veterans and veterans at risk of becoming homeless in obtaining benefits.

She added the organization received about $2,000 in donations for the holiday.

“We receive a lot of general donations, but these donors wanted to make sure our clients had gifts under the tree and food for the holidays,” Susan Harrison said. “There are a lot of programs that provide for children, but this gives us the opportunity to provide for the entire family, going beyond what we normally provide and making our clients feel like someone is thinking about them at Christmas.”

According to Pat Duffy, co-chairman for the West Virginia Elks Veterans Association, the club decided to give 110 food baskets including meats, canned goods, pasta and more to families through Helping Heroes in an effort to give back to former military servicemen and women.

Recently, the Elks also donated bedding and clothing for local veterans.

“There are so many needy people in our valley, even more now than there have ever been,” Duffy said. “For several years we helped at the Clarksburg veterans’ hospital but when you look around and see what Jeremy is doing, it’s clear that we have enough people in our own area we should be supporting.”

Duffy added the group will work with local middle schools and high schools to collect toiletries and hygiene products for homeless veterans in Ohio and Marshall counties.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today