Pictured are attendees of the Annual Stand Down Event serving local veterans. Photo courtesy of Janna Haynes

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - At Mather Community Campus, a line of expectant veterans wraps around the building. Men and women donning hats, vests and jackets filled with patches identifying their service history: which branch and which war they survived.

Some are walking with a noticeable limp; others have prosthetic limbs showing. Many are in wheelchairs, having lost a partial or full leg.

The air is heavy with pride and grief at the annual Sacramento Stand Down event. Pride for the service they gave and the brothers and sisters they served beside, grief for the ones they knew and loved who didn’t make it home.

Booths line both sides of the streets, filled with agencies and organizations dedicated to helping veterans get back on their feet after returning from service. For some, that means filling out applications for VA benefits and healthcare. Others need more intervention, such as a job, housing and mental health treatment.

Booths at the annual event offered resources to veterans getting back on their feet after returning from service. Photo courtesy of Janna Haynes

But every person there came searching for the same thing: a community of individuals and support that understands what they’ve been through and are willing to gently guide and love them through the struggle of returning to civilian life.

As folks amble booth to booth, the strains of a bagpipe ring out and a hush falls. The bagpiper makes his way around the corner, solemnly playing and walking his way through the crowd toward the American flag. At the conclusion of his piece, another veteran steps up to the microphone and sings the National Anthem. My heart squeezed at the reverence and honor in that moment. The weight of sacrifice in the crowd was so heavy that I could barely breathe.

Sacramento County District 5 Supervisor Pat Hume steps on stage to open the event. His district covers Mather Community Campus, which houses the Volunteers of America (VOA) veteran’s service center and shelter, in addition to several additional shelter programs serving singles, families and transitional aged youth.

Supervisor Hume shared his own family story of sacrifice, losing his father in war. Yet the pride in his voice is evident. He speaks directly to the hearts of each person in the crowd, “You are not alone. You do not carry this burden by yourself. Do not walk away today without making the connections you need and the help you need.”

As the opening ceremony concludes, the crowd disperses to walk the booths they came to see: dental care, eye exams, haircuts, benefits, basic medical care, lunch tent and more.

The Sacramento County Veterans Services Office staff is onsite to help people get connected to VA benefits. Human Services Supervisor Nick Pulaski shares the challenges of connecting veterans to their earned benefits.

Speakers at the annual Stand Up event included members of Volunteers of America, an organization committed to serving veterans and helping support them through the transition back into society. Photo courtesy of Janna Haynes

“We see so many people with incomplete paperwork; missing discharge papers or the worst is when private companies take advantage of them by charging them for help,” Pulaski said. “We do it for free. We’ll never take a percentage of your earned benefits. We work so hard to help and advocate for our clients.”

Volunteers of America is committed to serving those who served our country and helping support them through the transition back into society. They serve nearly 1,400 veterans a year at the Mather Campus drop-in center. They provide help with resume building, job applications, mock interviews and job placement with cultivated veteran- friendly employers.

For veterans who need help exiting homelessness, Volunteers of America also has on-site shelter and a housing specialist to help with permanent placements, including paying rental deposits and first and last month’s rent.

Don Harper, the Stand Down Event founder and vice president, emphasizes the moniker, “No wrong door” to getting help.

“Our goal is to get veterans off the streets and into the services they need to thrive, whatever that looks like for them,” Harper said. “We’re here to help.”