The Assiniboia Royal Canadian Legion branch in Assiniboia participated in a donation drive to help homeless veterans that just wrapped up at the end of March.
The branch received a letter from Saskatchewan Legion Command in Regina asking its branches around the province to take part in a collection drive of needy items throughout the months of February and March. The letter from Saskatchewan Legion Command in Regina explained to branches that it is conducting a donation drive to support war veterans who are homeless.
The collection was looking for 50 to 100 pieces of priority items ranging from socks and shavers to mosquito repellent and rain ponchos. The Saskatchewan Legion has partnered with the Carmichael Outreach and the Lighthouse homeless shelters in Regina and Saskatoon to reach the veterans for this project.
“The plight of homeless and near homeless veterans is of growing concern, which is why we launched our national homeless Veterans program called ‘Leave the Streets Behind’ in 2012,” said Tom Eagle, Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion, in a February 2015 press release. “Helping our homeless and near homeless veterans is one more reason why joining the Legion is one of the best ways to help veterans who, in many cases, have sacrificed so much for this nation and now find themselves asking for a hand-up and not a hand-out.”
The Assiniboia Legion branch is participating in the donation drive for the first time this year.
For more information on the “Leave the Streets Behind” program, or if a veteran or family member is homeless or near homeless, residents can contact the Legion at 1-877-534-4666 or email at servicebureau@legion.ca.
