Homeless Vets Won't Go Hungry On Thanksgiving Thanks To Local Man
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's a special delivery. Volunteers unload truckloads of food at Veterans Place on Washington Boulevard, to ensure a happy Thanksgiving for homeless vets.
Nemo McClain organized the food drive, with the help of Amvets Post 60 in North Braddock.
"How do you say thanks to these guys who made me and my son free?" he asks. "And I just said, 'It's Thanksgiving, let's try to feed 16 guys.' And you can see what we did. We could feed 50 for a week."
For Vietnam veteran Bruce Garritano, helping others is an opportunity for healing.
"Back in Vietnam, they actually blamed us a lot for the problems of the war and everything," Garritano said. "Finally, today these guys get the recognition and the care that they should get."
Veterans Place provides 48 efficiency apartments - a place where veterans who've just come home can get back on their feet again.
"How is it that you serve your country, and you come back and you just can't quite make it?" asks executive director Marlon Ferguson. "So, it's an honor for me, and it's an honor to be here to help our vets."
Homeless vets have temporary lodging, clothing and a pantry which, at the moment, is very well stocked.
"It affords an individual an opportunity to restructure their lives in a more positive way, and get exactly what they need to move on," says former resident Earl Yates.
Five residents volunteered to cook the turkeys on Thanksgiving day. Meanwhile, Nemo McClain is planning ahead.
"I'd like to get some help to feed these guys for Christmas," McClain.
For information on how you can help, call Veterans Place at 412-363-0500 or Nemo McClain at 412-916-5612.
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