Last time we talked about how you can help veterans directly, the old fashioned way, by donating your time and efforts to a veterans support group of your choice, including the Veterans Administration itself.

But let’s face it, we don’t always have enough time in our busy lives to volunteer directly.  This is understandable.  But it of course doesn’t mean we can’t help.  By donating whatever money we can afford to give to one or several of many worthy veterans charities, we help a gret deal.

Yes, we have all seen the bumper stickers: “Bless the Troops”, “Thank the troops”, “Help the Vets”. We not only agree with the sentiments to appreciate those who serve and have served, but millions of Americans give to charities focused on Veterans issues every year. We need to keep on giving, but where is the best place to give?It can actually be confusing, when faced with so many choices of where to focus our donation dollars, to know what choice to make. With numerous reputable groups out there working hard to help both current troops deployed around the world and veterans who have returned home and are trying to resume their lives.

Certainly you can research groups online, starting with a simple search and checking out the results. Some of the results will take you to individual charity sites, but others will take you to sites that do some comparisons for you, and explain well what many of the charities do, what their focus is.

It is a good idea to compare the charities as well as learn what the particular group does, what their “niche” is.  You may find yourself specifically drawn to the type of help one charity or another does.  If you read that a certain charity focuses on helping to provide housing for returning vets, for instance, and you think that is a particularly important part of veterans charity work, you may choose to donate to that specific charity.

Charitable giving in general, no matter what it is for, always feels great.  And giving to those who give so much for us all feels as good as it gets.

Volunteerism is in many ways as American as apple pie.  Americans have been volunteering their time and energy to help those in their communities, and in the world community, in need.  Ironically, one very growing segment of our community in need is our veterans, overseas and back here at home, who are all volunteers themselves.  They volunteer to give everything, perhaps even their lives, to protect us all.  We all agree they deserve our support.

But what is the best way to help support our veteran men and women? There are government programs to help returning veterans, like the VA (Veterans Administration), and there are thankfully many private organizations that help veterans, and we as average citizens can support veterans by supporting these organizations financially or, even better with our time.

But did you know that the VA ITSELF recruits, accepts, and supports volunteers who are interested in volunteering their time to help support people in their community who have given so much to us all.

If you contact the Veterans Administration directly, and say that you are interested in becoming one of their “army” of volunteers, they will help guide you and support you through the process.  The VA uses its resources and understanding of the immediate needs of personel, locally, regionally, and nationally.  They can match a volunteer with a job to be done.  The volunteer can work to make a real difference in the lives of some of our most educated, trained and valuable members of our society.

If you think about what motivates many to join the armed services and go through what that entails-hard training and work for low pay, long and perhaps multiple tours of duty away from their families, and risking their very lives- it is the spirit of volunteering.  Volunteering at home often involves a great deal of courage as well.  In this fast paced multitask world, none of us have a great deal of time leftover.  Yet many of us find a way to weave volunteer work into the fabric of our daily lives.  We find it empowers us with the feeling of making a difference.

Volunteering to help our vets is a great version of public service.  Working directly with the VA is a great place to start.

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