Meals for Homeless Veterans - Custom

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports that on any given night there may be over 75,600 homeless veterans in shelters and on the streets across the country. Over the course of one year (October 2008-September 2009), 136,334 veterans spent at least one night in a shelter or transitional housing program, more than 5,000 of them alongside their families.

While veterans represent 8% of the total population in the United States, they are disproportionately represented among our homeless: a startling 12% of the homeless population are veterans, or 16% of homeless adults. Most homeless veterans--over 90%--are male. About half of homeless veterans are disabled.

Nearly three million veterans and their families don't have enough to eat each month. This is in addition to the physical, mental, and emotional trauma many veterans contend with every day.

Two-thirds of America's homeless veterans served for at least three years, and one-third were stationed in a war zone. They have served in all the conflicts of recent years, including Afghanistan and Iraq (OEF/OIF).

Around the United States, community groups are hampered by lack of space, lack of funding, and a lack of publicity about the numbers of veterans who are homeless and the challenges they face while trying to turn their lives around. As a result, veterans in need of help don't have many places to turn.

You can help ease their burden. Just $25 helps provide nourishing meals for veterans.