Military and Veteran Support Services

How You Can Help

In addition to our donation program, we have put together this list of local places where you can get involved in supporting our military memebers, veterans, and their families. This is an ever growing resource for our community, so please feel free to email us if you would like to add an organization to the page! Hakolas@Hakolas.com

Holiday Help & Support for Veterans and Active Military

• Holiday Meals for Military by Operation Homefront. Specific dates for each location listed on the site. 
• Homefront Christmas is organized by Homefront America. They have two holiday programs. The first helps match donors to military familis for help with the holidays, and the second is a gift-giving program for military children. They also need volunteers! 
• Holiday Mail for Heros is a program where well-wishers can send holiday mail and thanks to our troops. This program is through the Red Cross. The deadline for this program is December 6. 

General Volunteer Support Opportunities with the USO (United Service Organizations)

The USO has been supporting our active duty and deployed service members since 1941!  Whether helping a soldier with a connecting flight, distributing a Care Package, or "welcoming home" troops from deployment, volunteers are vital to the success of the USO’s mission. There are lots of ways to get involved both locally and nationally. Here are some links to get started:

• USO of Greater Los Angeles
• USO of San Diego

Hiring Veterans

Transitioning from active duty to the civilian life can pose several challenges for any service member. Finding a job once they are no longer on active duty is one of the most immediate needs that most veterans face. There are several resources designed to help companies find qualified veterans to fill open positions. If you are interested in hiring a veteran, here are a few places to start. 

• Instructions for potential employers 
• Local resource Veterans Employment Committee of Orange County
• National resource Hiring Our Heroes

Other Volunteer Opportunities

If you'd like to help support our military and their families, but are not sure how, then please take a moment to check out the organizations below. Each one has their unique goals, and several opportunities for you to get involved. 

Operation Homefront - Operation Homefront (OH) provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. They have several volunteer opportunities available. One really unique aspect to this group's site is that they have a CURRENT NEEDS page where you can donate directly to individuals' needs. This is setup much like other popular crowdsourcing sites, and is easily sharable so you can spread the word to your friends and family. 

The Wounded Warrior Project - This organization strives to honor and empower wounded warriors through various initiatives. They also have several ways the public can get involved and/or donate. 

Operation Gratitude - Operation Gratitude provides care packages to U.S. military, their families, and care givers. They always have an updated list of immediate needs, and have several ways you can participate. 

Saddleback Veterans Ministry - The Veterans Ministry of Saddleback Church is a volunteer based Christian outreach that serves local veterans and their families. In addition to other services, they offer a support group setting every Wednesday from 7pm to 8:30pm. Check out their resource page for more info HERE .

Art & Creativity for Healing - Their mission is to support emotional healing through art & creative expression for those living with pain, grief, fear or stress. Their work is very diverse, but often involves military and veteran support. They provide a unique and creative way to make a differnce locally. 

VITAS Veteran Volunteers - VITAS provides services to care for terminally ill veterans living at home and in nursing homes, assisted living communities and medical centers. They offer a range of local volunteer opportunities. 

OC Veteran Services Initiative - The Orange County Veterans Services Initiative (OCVSI) is a project of the Orange County Community Foundation that identifies the most pressing challenges facing returning veterans and leverages resources to meet those needs. Check them out to see how you might be able to help on a local level. 

*Hakola & Associates does not necessarily endorse the aforementioned organizations. This list is inteded to be a general community resource. Any user should properly examine each organization for themselves before deciding to participate in any capacity.