SOUTH DEERFIELD — In honor of Veterans Day, a local furniture wholesaler donated home furnishings to three western Massachusetts veterans transitioning from homelessness.
Atlantic Furniture in South Deerfield gave beds, mattresses, tables and other goods to women moving into apartments in Chicopee, Palmer and Westfield. The business was put in contact with these veterans through Soldier On, an organization that assists homeless veterans in western Massachusetts, and the furniture was delivered on Nov. 9 by Megan O’Keefe, Atlantic’s marketing lead, and Ed Standish, the company’s senior maintenance technician and a U.S. Navy veteran.
Standish said the delivery opened his eyes to a fact he thinks many overlook.
“When you hear the words ‘homeless vet,’ a picture comes to everybody’s mind. That’s usually a young or old man, down and out on his luck – of that nature,” he said. “But there are a lot of women out there also (in that predicament).”
Standish said the three women were of various ages, with the oldest having served during the Vietnam War. Two of them served in the Army, while one was in the Air Force.
O’Keefe said one of the veterans has a 7-year-old who, on Nov. 9, was going to come home from school to be surprised by a brand-new twin bed. She said giving back to the community is a big part of Atlantic’s philosophy. The South Deerfield location acts as a distribution center where the wholesaler ships merchandise to various brick-and-mortar stores around the United States and fulfills online orders coming in from e-commerce sites like Amazon and Wayfair.
O’Keefe said Atlantic’s warehouse always has some unused or seldom-used furniture the company would like to give away to someone who needs it.
Standish said he feels he made a difference in the lives of fellow veterans, saying the women had tears in their eyes when they thanked him for his help.
“It makes you appreciate what you’ve got,” he said.
The women were assisted by Sabrina McGill, a case manager at Soldier On.
“Soldier On believes that no veteran should experience homelessness,” she said in a statement. “We strive to ensure that all aspects of housing are accommodated when housing is obtained and are delighted to partner with local organizations to ensure our veterans’ needs are met.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates 40,056 veterans are homeless on any given night. For more information about Soldier On, visit https://www.wesoldieron.org/