5 years, 15 selections, $3,509 in donations
Since July 2019, the Veterans Strong Community Center has been selected to benefit from the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs 15 times at two different Stop & Shop locations. In total, the organization has received $3,509 in donations to continue connecting veterans, service members, and their families with holistic services and resources.
Tell us about the Veterans Strong Community Center.
Veterans Strong Community Center is a nonprofit that I co-founded in 2016. Before founding the organization, I had worked for an Army Reserve program in Bristol. When the program shut down, I didn’t want to stop doing the work I was doing.
Today, the Veterans Strong Community Center, as part of the ELPIS Alliance for Veterans, is an information and resource center for veterans, service members, surviving spouses, and the immediate families of our military. We aim to give them a place where they can talk to a live person to figure out what’s going on. If they are going through a particular situation or crisis, we triage it by finding them the best program based on their time of service, length of service, and discharge status. We also look at programs within the community because sometimes, the best resource for them may not be specific to veterans. Additionally, as part of the ELPIS Alliance for Veterans, we are committed to improving the lives of veterans through holistic, innovative, and measurable approaches.
If they are going through a particular situation or crisis, we triage it by finding them the best program based on their time of service, length of service, and discharge status.
What services do you provide to the community?
Our services vary based on the current issues an individual may be having. Sometimes, it is as easy as getting someone a copy of their discharge papers. Other times, there are more complex situations where someone is facing eviction or experiencing homelessness. We offer employment resources, refer individuals and families to housing specialists, and help them gain access to physical and mental health resources. We also host events periodically during the year on a wide range of topics.
Unfortunately, we have been helping many families through end-of-life services lately. Since we have an older population of veterans, we’re seeing more of that type of situation. It is sad, but I am glad we are here to help families through that process.
In the 13 years that I have been doing this work, I have developed a big resource network. Our goal is to be a one-stop shop where people can get concrete answers to questions and warm handoffs to other helping agencies if needed.
Our goal is to be a one-stop shop where people can get concrete answers to questions and warm handoffs to other helping agencies if needed.
How has the Veterans Strong Community Center used the donations from the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs to further its mission?
We’ve been doing the Community Bag Program for a while, and recently, we started doing the Bloomin’ 4 Good Program. We use the funds to give out gift cards for groceries, gas, and bus passes. Through these gift cards, the donations go directly to veterans and their families.
Whenever we get those checks, it’s like a little Christmas! As a nonprofit, we are always looking at the budget and what we can do. We don’t want to have to cut anything, so we try to budget our money wisely. With these donations, we can buy more gas cards, grocery store gift cards, and bus passes.
Tell us a story about a program, service, or initiative that the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs have supported.
Over the holidays, we had a veteran reach out to us. She was homeless and living in her car. Using our emergency funds and funds from the Stop & Shop programs, we purchased additional gift cards so she could go and get some food and pay for gas.
Around that time, we started having really cold weeks. We were able to leverage the money we’ve received through these programs to place her in a motel for a couple of nights and provide her with gift cards for food and other supplies. She has been housed for about 2 months now. She is stable, and everything is looking up for her.
I like this story because we don’t always hear how things turn out. Usually, people come to us, and we help them triage the crisis by connecting them to the right people and letting them go their own way. It’s always nice to get a message saying, “Here’s where I am now, thanks to you.”
Have you noticed any changes in community awareness or support since becoming involved in the Stop and Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs?
It’s always nice to hear people recognize our organization and want to help. I’ll go into the store during a month we are selected, and people see the signs at the register and say, “For the veterans? Yeah, I’ll buy a bag!”
What advice would you give other nonprofits participating in the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs?
If you’re new to the program, go for it! Try it. It’s an easy, no-brainer fundraiser for any organization. Utilize the tools Stop & Shop gives us. They are fabulous! You can quickly download images and share them right on social media. Stop & Shop has been great about putting us in the rotation so that we get to participate at least once or twice a year.
Interview with Donna Dognin, Founder and Executive Director