We are a Victim of Our Own Mission:
As the Founder and daily operator of the Vets on Track Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that serves the homeless veteran arena, I've come to realize one thing - this is not an easy business!
What makes our operation even tougher than most? Our mission! While collecting and delivering furniture and household accessories to veterans transitioning into permanent housing from homelessness is a manpower intensive mission, the real battle happens when we try to raise much needed funding to keep your operation moving forward.
"I just donated thousands of dollars of furniture," is a common response we get. People just do not seem to understand that even things given for free have a price tag, and that price tag burden falls on the shoulders of the Foundation...this is why I say "we are a victim of our own mission."
Fundraising for our Foundation has been tough. From our first delivery mission in July 2016 to today, people believe that, since we collect donated furniture, there is no real need for monetary donations, and this could not be more out of left field than a stray baseball.
This past June, our Foundation furnished its 1,000th home here in Virginia (as a side note, we operate in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and parts of Maryland). Additionally, we are about to open our North Carolina Division near Charlotte. In order to have enough household accessories to furnish 1,000 homes, our team of paid staff and volunteer support had to complete close to 3,000 donation pick up missions throughout our operating area.
The cost of gasoline alone challenges our bank account every month. Running two trucks across the state to pick up donations and then all the delivery missions takes its toll. Every mile driven equates to $'s. Insurance, storage units, maintenance, etc. are all $ signs that the average donor does not consider.
Our Foundation is looking for corporate partners to help defray some of these expenses, while also helping us open new divisions of our Foundation in critical cities across the country. By providing veterans and others with the much needed household goods when transitioning from homelessness, we are giving them a much better chance of not returning to the streets. Additionally, we help keep thousands of tons of household goods from entering our landfills.
We need your support!
www.vettrack.org
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