From donations and collection, to sorting and packing, a local effort to provide backpacks to homeless veterans has gone full circle with three deliveries already complete and more to come after the new year.
As of Monday, Dec. 9, 500 backpacks filled with essentials have been delivered to homeless veterans in New Jersey. The severe weather backpack campaign- Helping Homeless Heroes/Helping Homeless Hounds- is sponsored by the All Veterans Alliance and Morris County American Legion.
One of the deliveries occurred during last week’s snowstorm, but freezing rain, icy roads and inches of snow did not halt their mission.
“The snowstorm did not deter our team,” says Charlie Wood Uhrmann, organizer of the severe weather backpack campaign and founder of the All Veterans Memorial and All Veterans Alliance.
“We loaded more than 150 backpacks and blankets on Sunday evening and delivered them in the early morning hour,” she says. The project was an incredible success.”
Morris County American Legion, All Veterans Alliance Chaplain and wounded combat Veteran Adam Charman hand-delivered the backpacks, all three days.
Deliveries were held Nov. 24, Dec. 2 and Dec. 9.
“Each backpack included: New sweatshirts, hats, scarves, gloves, socks, hand and feet warmers, water bottles, hygiene items, first aid items, food and bibles,” says Uhrmann. “We delivered 12 backpacks for our homeless hounds.”
Deliveries also included more than 250 blankets, 50 raincoats and 75 brand new coats, she adds.
After realizing that the local counties were on top of providing necessary items to homeless, Uhrmann found a greater need in Newark.
“We first checked with several Morris County agencies to see if they had the location or need for the backpacks and learned that Morris County does a wonderful job helping their homeless population,” Uhrmann says.
“We then reached out to Sussex and Warren and learned the same.
“Next, we made contact and vetted the Essex County (Newark) Police Department Community Affairs and learned that they had thousands of documented homeless heroes,” says Uhrmann. “It just so happens that the very next day clergy from several counties and the Newark Police Explorers were setting up a mobile soup kitchen where most of the homeless live. This was an excellent opportunity for The All Veterans Memorial / All Veterans Alliance Chaplain Adam Charman to use the event to deliver the much-needed backpacks, coats and rain gear to documented homeless. The timing could not have been better – the following day, after the distribution – the area experienced a torrential down pour.”
Charman is pleased by the success of the campaign and from all of the support along the way.
When asked how it is going his reply: “Going amazing! We are touching hundreds of lives giving hope and love.
“It’s an outstanding project to support and be part of - from donors, to the team of backpack organizers, the Hope One team, Newark police, AVA/ AVM /Morris Essex County American Legion team make this combination a true “WIN “ for all we are serving. I’m just so grateful to share myself with this entire project of amazing people.”
In a message on social media, Uhrmann thanks the State of N.J. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for its grant to provide for the backpacks for Helping Homeless Heroes/ Helping Helpless Hounds.
Charman added thanks to Mansfield Walmart “for their most generous grant …between their generosity, state of N.J. of Veterans Affairs, the American Legion from the county and the post and all the people on behalf of myself Chaplain Charman, we have delivered over 500 backpacks, hundreds and hundreds of blankets and all these things with all these grants delivered straight to the people going straight from our hands to theirs.