Our brave service men and women have made great sacrifices to serve our country and to protect all of us. It is important to show them that we appreciate their sacrifice.

Every Metropolis is requested to adopt one or more of the following initiative(s), and engage their respective chapters to participate:

1. Adopt a VA Medical Center and/or Outpatient Clinic
2. Contact the local Veterans Benefits Office(s) regarding Veterans needs
3. Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org)– Fisher House Foundation is best known for its network of comfort homes built on the grounds of major military and VA Medical Centers, which enable family members to be close to their loved ones during hospitalization for combat injury, illness or disease. Philoptochos volunteers can prepare meals, provide snacks, donate house cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, and gift cards. Chapters can also host a party for these families during the holiday season.
4. Provide funeral support for homeless veterans
5. Prepare Housewarming Baskets for homeless veterans (a Metropolis of Boston on-going initiative. Boston can assist any Metropolis/Chapter that wishes to adopt this program)
6. Develop a system/process to identify veterans within a respective parish and designate a date to honor them i.e. Veterans Day; Independence Day; etc.
7. Wreaths Across America: (www.wreathsacrossamerica.org) is a national network of volunteers that provides memorial wreaths during the Christmas season to over 1400 cemeteries across the country.  A wreath-laying ceremony is held annually on the third Saturday in December.  This program remembers our fallen US Veterans, honors those who serve and teaches our children the value of freedom.
8. Develop a visitation program to sponsor a social hour for veterans living in a VA Nursing Home (typically located withing a VA Medical Center). To include the Spinal Cord Injury population.
9. Host Homeless Veterans housed at a VA facility to a parish food festival. (These veterans are brought by the VA and are supervised by the VA during their visit.)
10. USO Service Organization (USO) (www.uso.org) – The USO mission is to provide morale, welfare and recreation-type services to uniformed military personnel. Thousands of USO volunteers do everything possible to provide a home away from home for our troops and to keep them connected to their families. One way chapters can do so is through the USO Operation Phone Home prepaid phone cards. To help this worthy program, donations can be made through their website

Please share your chapter projects with us at the e-mail: Communications@philoptochos.org so that we may share your ideas with our members and let them know how many service men and women’s lives and veterans’ lives have been touched through your generosity.

(Download) the Flyer.