Support Cambria ALA's Backpacks for Homeless Vets

Cambria American Legion Auxiliary Unit 432 (ALA) excels at making backpacks for homeless Veterans containing basic needs items such as socks, dental kits, bathing kits, and shaving kits. We started our program called, “We’ve got your BACK Packs” in 2019. Annually, we fill about 60 packs and distribute them to Veteran agencies in SLO County to use throughout the year. We’re so good at this, one of the agencies, SLO Vet Center, recently approached us to support the Veterans in the upcoming Veterans’ Stand Down, October 26, 2024, in Santa Maria by providing 100 packs. This Stand Down will service Veterans from San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County.

Stand Downs are one part of the Department of Veterans Affairs' efforts to provide services to homeless Veterans. They provide services to homeless Veterans such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, VA and Social Security benefits, counseling, and referrals to a variety of other necessary services such as housing, employment, and substance abuse treatment. Stand Downs are collaborative events, coordinated between local VAs, other government agencies, and community agencies who serve the homeless.

As one of the community organizations whose purpose is to serve Veterans, of course, we said yes to our latest call to action. We will be filling 100 backpacks to give away during the October 26th Santa Maria Veteran Stand Down. The cost of each filled backpack is approximately $60. This is where our members and community can help. We have created this GoFundMe page to raise the funds we need to fill our expanded order for backpacks with all types of necessities like rain jackets, socks, hats, razors, soaps, flashlights, emergency blankets, and even some yummy treats.

The Cambria ALA members find great pride in the work we do for our community. Help us to make this project extra special for our county homeless vets in need. They had our backs when they served, now let’s give back to them.