Last year, Alaska resident and Army veteran Jessy Lakin found a veteran snowed into his home with no firewood or heat, inches away from death.
With every piece of clothing in his cabin on his body, and his dog curled up on the inside of his jacket, it took four hours to thaw the man out and get him to the emergency room.
This is just one of the many problems the veteran community deals with in those freezing winter months in Alaska.
“There are so many vets in our community that need help, and not just in the winter months,” Lakin said. “It’s so much greater than that.”
Alaska has the highest veteran population per capita in the country, with more than 62,000 calling the state home and, despite their sacrifice serving the country, many veterans end up falling through the cracks as they age and have higher needs.
The Alaska Warrior Partnership is working to tend to those growing needs of veterans.
Whether it be health care, housing, employment, recreation or enrollment in VA benefits, the nonprofit’s goal is to ensure veterans access to as many resources possible.
As part of its new Winter Preparedness Project, the Alaska Warrior Partnership also provides veterans in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough the resources they need to survive the long harsh winter months.
The program provides veterans in need with firewood delivery, snow removal services and peer-to-peer camaraderie during the isolating winter months.
“It’s about people working together; vets helping vets,” said Lakin, Alaska Warrior Partnership's program lead. “The younger vets are supporting the older vets in the community.”
Lakin said the nonprofit is made up of volunteers, who last year alone helped more than 500 people, whether it was connecting them to their VA benefits, senior living programs, housing programs or Meals on Wheels.
He gave the example of a time where he found a couple living in a trailer without heat, using their car heater to stay warm.
“Imagine having to be in your car 90 percent of the time to keep warm,” Lakin said. “So we got them some firewood and 48 hours later got them into a housing program and an apartment to live in.”
The Alaska Warrior Partnership is a division of America’s Warrior Partnership, which focuses on empowering veterans through connections, education, advocacy and collaboration with other veterans, their families, caregivers and the communities that support them.
The national program's mission also has a larger emphasis on preventing veteran suicide, according to their website.
“The idea with the Alaska Warrior Partnership is that together, Alaska can be better,” Lakin said. “When everyone works together we will do better; we will empower Alaska to empower vets.”
There are around 247 partners across the state, including nonprofits, for-profits and state agencies, working towards giving veterans a better life.
Recently, the Mat-Su Health Foundation awarded a $49,610 grant to hire a Mat-Su outreach specialist to help the nonprofit connect with more veterans in need.
“It’s crazy to me, people say I should feel so much pride for everything I’m doing but to me it’s like, what more can I do?” He said. “Where am I not looking? There are so many out there that need this help.”
Although the nonprofit receives some grants and sponsorships, it’s not been enough.
“To run a successful and effective team, the nonprofit needs $60,000 minimum and right now we are trying to do it all for $10,000,” Larkin said. “But we made it work because there is no ‘no’ in our vocabulary.”
This year, the nonprofit is moving up from using snowblowers to renting plow trucks during the winter, but Lakin hopes to eventually buy trucks.
He added that he hopes the future for the Alaska Warrior Partnership continues to grow and be a part of communities across the state.
“There’s so much more work to be done and I hope we can continue to expand further across the state and be able to grow a stronger community for our veterans,” Lakin said. “It would be so nice to continue to see the younger community give back to the older community.”
For more information on the Alaska Warrior Partnership or to donate to the cause, click here.