Phoenix VA Veterans receives generous donation from local church

The donations, delivered to the Carl T. Hayden VAMC, contained an assortment of items including 36 $25 gift cards to Fry’s and Walmart, 512 bottles of water, 32 pairs of men’s shorts, 1 pair of pants, 37 hygiene kits, weighted blankets, coloring books, colored pencils, 56 dog leashes and harnesses, video games, fidget toys, and a pencil sharpener. 

“All of our donations fall under MISSION Impact, a ministry for community outreach to help organizations reach out to their clients,” said Jan Lancaster, MISSION Community Church member. We are trying to support the efforts of the VA to reach as many Veterans as possible and our ministry is all about reaching out to the community to help them serve the people they are designed to serve.”

All the items donated will go to Veterans in need. The gift cards will be distributed at the Phoenix VA’s upcoming 2024 Vets Giving outreach event on Nov. 16, from 10 am to 2 pm and the bottled water will go to the Phoenix VA’s Community Resource Referral Centers (CRRC). The video games will go to the mental health wards and weighted blankets, coloring books, colored pencils, and fidget toys will go to the Caring for Older Adults and Caregivers at Home (COACH) program. Some of the coloring books, colored pencils and fidget toys will also go to the Domiciliary for Substance Use Disorder (DOM-SUD) program. The hygiene kits will be distributed to 32nd St. VA Outpatient Clinic Social Work department to give to Veterans. The men’s shorts and pants will go to the Community Living Center (CLC) and DOM-SUD program.

“We are privileged to have the VA as a new partner. We look forward to serving the VA twice a year, which is something we don’t normally do for our partners, but we’ve made the exception because a lot of our people are Veterans,” said Lancaster.

MISSION Community Church did their first drop off at the Phoenix VA in March of 2024, and this is the second donation that their organization has done so far.

“Every single month, we have a collection on the third Sunday of each month to collect items for our 12 community partners. VA was the twelfth community partner we added and the first new partner we’ve taken on in a while,” said Lancaster. 

MISSION Community Church works with the Phoenix VA’s Voluntary Services who provides a wish list of items needed.

“When we find out what the VA needs, we pass out the cards on the second Sunday, and church members bring the donations on the third Sunday, and when we have enough, we put the items together, such as the hygiene kits,” said Lancaster.

If you would like to donate items to the Phoenix VA or know someone who is interested in donating items for Veterans, reach out to Voluntary Services at 602-222-6419.