More than 1,000 refurbished laptops, with up-to-date hardware such as cameras and current-issue software, have made their way from L.A. County's Internal Services Department (ISD) into the hands of veterans.
KNX News reporter Pete Demetriou spoke with Selwyn Hollins, the ISD director, who said he knew there would be a surge of people interested in the program, but the turnout surprised even him.
"In three days, we were bombarded with over 1,000 requests from all over the county of Los Angeles," he said.
The vets who picked up their laptops at 15 different libraries throughout L.A. County weren't shy about sharing how they plan to use their new tech.
"They're looking for jobs, they're looking to get connected, they're looking to get digital literacy training. They're looking to be able to take advantage of the many benefits that are available to veterans from subsidy programs and other things that they haven't been able to get access to," Hollins said.
Holland says, with the help of federal funds and other resources, they're hoping to expand the laptop giveaway next year to more than 7,500 veteran candidates.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
