Reaching out to homeless vets

The Grafton American Legion Auxiliary assembled 25 Buddy Baskets for homeless veterans on Feb. 15 at the Rose-Harms American Legion Hall.

Buddy Baskets are laundry baskets filled with common household goods that are given to homeless veterans as they move to transitional or permanent housing.

The auxiliary donated the baskets to the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative.

“These veterans are less likely to have basic household items such as light bulbs, laundry detergent, toilet paper and plasticware. Buddy Basket containers are filled with these sorts of items to help meet those needs for veterans and military families in these situations,” District President and Grafton Unit member Amy Luft said.

The Buddy Basket project is part of the Veteran Affairs and Rehabilitation (VA&R) program of the American Legion Auxiliary. The VA&R program is the American Legion Auxiliary’s largest and supports  veterans in need of assistance. Members volunteer in the veterans’ homes and medical centers.

"For this project, we decided to partner with MHVI. Their mission is to help homeless and at-risk veterans reach and maintain their highest levels of independence. They offer unique programs to fill the gaps and don’t duplicate what others do,” Luft said.  

Each veteran receives one Buddy Basket as they are moving into new housing.

MHVI representatives said approximately one veteran a day is being successfully housed within the Milwaukee and surrounding areas.

For more information about MHVI, visit its website at wisconsinvets.org. Information about the American Legion Auxiliary can be found at alaforveterans.org.