DAV holds Forget-Me-Not donation drive
By DAVID J. HARDIN
Cove Leader-Press
The local chapter 74 of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) held their semi-annual Forget Me Not donation drive in front of the Copperas Cove Wal-Mart on Saturday.
The purpose of the drive was to collect donations for disabled veterans and also hand out forget-me-nots in exchange for the donated funds.
The money collected goes to support local initiatives that help veterans receive their benefits, prevent homelessness, provide transportation to hospitals and doctor’s appointments, and more.
Tony Smith is the Commander of Chapter 74 of the DAV and is also a veterans’ service officer for Coryell County.
“The purpose of these drives is to help disabled veterans, because a lot of the veterans get a wheelchair or a power chair from the Veterans Administration (VA), but they never go back and refurbish their batteries, so we help them buy batteries for these chairs,” Smith said.
“We also help veterans who have fallen on their luck one month, and help pay for things like their electric and water bills as well as their rent. We also help them with food, because we have a food bank.”
The DAV also provides assistance for paying for their prescriptions, because Tri-Care makes veterans pay for their own prescriptions, Smith added, also stating that sometimes these veterans have to choose between paying for their prescriptions instead of buying food.
Smith also talked about how the DAV helps veterans in addition to financial support.
“We can assist them with things like painting their house, mowing their yard, or if they need to go shopping or need a ride to the VA hospital for their medical appointments, we can take them there.”
The DAV also held a similar drive in Gatesville and Smith pointed out where the funds raised go.
“All of the money that we raise here and in Gatesville stays right here in our vicinity. .The reason why I say vicinity is because the Gatesville chapter helps out Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, and San Saba Counties,” Smith said. “We help out a majority of the counties, so we are not only in one.
“Sometimes the money that raised does not go very far, because if we are helping a veteran pay a $700 a month rent bill, we may only have enough money to help that one veteran. We hope to get more and more each drive so that we can help more veterans.”
Saturday’s event raised $450.
Nationally, the DAV’s practice of handing out forget-me-nots first began in February 1926 to support veterans following World War I.