The snow and ice that caused damage throughout Texas last month may be gone thanks to a welcome weather warm-up, but veterans in the Lone Star State continue to recover from the effects of the storms.
Matt Burgos, supervisor National Service Officer with the Disabled American Veterans Service Office in Waco, said there are over 922,000 veterans residing within the Waco Texas DAV jurisdiction.
“The winter storms have affected every person living in the state of Texas, but veterans who have suffered injuries as a result of their service to our country even more so,” he said. “Veterans not only had to deal with the same stressors as everyone else but also deal with their personal disabilities.”
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Burgos said the DAV is dedicated to helping disabled veterans in their time of need.
“While we are currently doing disaster relief in the form of vouchers, we are also informing the public about the DAV and our website,” he said.
The website allows veterans to go online and post different things they need help with around the house from regular home maintenance to help building things like wheelchair ramps, handrails and more, Burgos said. Those interested in volunteering can go online to see the needs and connect with veterans to help get things accomplished with them.
Veterans that have been impacted by the recent winter storms in Texas and the surrounding states can contact Disabled American Veterans for possible disaster relief, Burgos said.
“DAV is issuing vouchers in the form of checks and a supply kit that contains items such as a blanket and toiletries,” he said. “Veterans who are interested can reach out to our Waco, Houston and San Antonio Disabled American Veterans National Service Offices via phone or email.”
Individuals who want to help always can offer a monetary donation to the DAV’s National Service Foundation, added Burgos.
"The NSF develops financial resources for the assistance, aid, maintenance, care, support and rehabilitation of sick and injured veterans and their dependents, either directly or by contribution to the service programs of DAV national organization or its departments,” he said.
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In 2019, 97% of NSF funds went directly to program services for veterans and their families, Burgos said. has also stepped up to help Texas veterans recover from the storms with a $350,000 donation to six local and national nonprofit organizations.
The USAA Foundation has also stepped up to help Texas veterans recover from the storms with a $350,000 donation to six local and national nonprofit organizations.
“Thousands of USAA members and many of our 36,000 USAA employees felt the impact of last week’s storms either firsthand or through helping members impacted by the winter storms that surged across Texas,” said Harriet Dominique, chief diversity, inclusion and corporate responsibility officer at USAA. “We want to continue to support those in need, including those facing homelessness and food insecurity.”
The organizations receiving grants to assist families, include Team Rubicon, San Antonio Food Bank, Haven for Hope (San Antonio), Minnie’s Food Pantry (Dallas), Harmony Community Development Corporation (Dallas) and Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance.
“Our National Operations Center and ongoing Houston Rebuild program are based out of Texas so this storm hit home for many of our Team Rubicon employees and volunteers. As soon as it was safe, these same teams were on the ground assisting those in their communities,” said William Porter, deputy director of Operational Support for Team Rubicon based out of Dallas. ”
In 2020, USAA and The USAA Foundation, Inc. committed $87 million to nonprofit organizations in support of pandemic-related relief, racial equality, and other critical needs across our communities. Additionally, USAA employees gave more than $10 million to nonprofit organizations and logged more than 185,000 volunteer hours to support our communities and those in need.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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