You’re getting ready for your big Fourth of July extravaganza, so you head to your local grocery store for hot dogs, marshmallows, and watermelon. As you leave the store’s parking lot, you pass folks holding cardboard signs pleading for money or work. More often than not, the aforementioned sign will identify the sign-holder as a veteran. You want to help those who have sacrificed so much to make your Fourth of July celebration possible, but how do you know the best way to help?

If you truly want to support our veterans, there are many legitimate organizations that can ensure that the help you give will get to its intended beneficiaries. One of those organizations is Boise Rescue Mission Ministries and its Veterans Ministry Program that specifically targets and serves veterans. Last year, the Rescue Mission remodeled the north wing of their River of Life facility in Boise to build and tailor 19 private rooms to the needs of Idaho veterans. The wing is named after Major Ed "Too Tall" Freeman, an Idaho Medal of Honor recipient who died in 2008. Each of the rooms is named in honor of an Idaho veteran or one with strong Idaho ties. In addition to room and board, the ministry provides chapel, case management, psycho-social rehabilitation, and vocational, educational, and addiction recovery programs to support veterans in their transition back into the community. The six-month program serves homeless veterans discharged from the Boise VA hospital, as well as veterans who continue to visit Boise Rescue Mission seeking shelter. Since the start of the program a little over a year ago, 27 chronically homeless veterans enrolled in the program have transitioned back into the community—a 100 percent success rate.

If you would like to be a part of helping Boise Rescue Mission Ministries reach our veterans in need, monetary donations are always joyfully received. But you can also help in a more personal way. Because veterans go through the program in six months, new residents come into the home on a regular basis. You can help the Mission make the newcomers feel at home by providing some small personal touches.

Here’s a wishlist:

• Small welcome baskets or boxes (be creative—here are some ideas!):
  • Toiletries and personal items
  • Snacks
  • Books or journals
  • Gift cards to local businesses
  • New towels and washcloths
• New twin-size sheet sets

A quote from Vietnam Veteran Major Bernard Fisher sums up the heart and soul of the Veterans Ministry: "If a man is down, you don’t just leave him there." Please consider being a part of helping our veterans get back up. To learn more about the Veterans Ministry and how you can help, visit www.boiserm.org/programs-veterans.asp.