Staff members from IAM Headquarters collected household goods and traveled to a nearby military veterans home in Saint Marys County, Md., to deliver small packages of items to the residents. Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, where the staff is represented by the IAM, is an assisted living and skilled nursing facility run by the Maryland Veterans Affairs Healthcare System that attends to the needs of nearly 500 elderly military veterans.
Healthcare is free to these veterans, but many day by day comfort items cannot be paid for with taxpayer dollars.
IAM staffers brought toiletries, laundry detergents, stuffed animals, reading lights and glasses, among other comfort items. This year, staffers were also able to donate computer tablets that were not used or unclaimed from the 2024 Grand Lodge Convention. The tablets were a big hit with the residents.
“Headquarters staff participate in several charity drives each year,” said IAM Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett. “From Guide Dogs of America, to United Way, labor coalitions, and social movements, our staffers give back all year round. It has been a record year of giving by headquarters members, and I am so proud that they ran one additional drive this year for our local military veterans.”
The collection drive was spearheaded by the IAM Veterans Service Program.
“We know these veterans have needs beyond healthcare to make them comfortable,” said IAM Assistant Veterans Coordinator Bryan Stymacks. “We were able to work with the facility to get a wish list of needed comforts, and I am really impressed by what we were able to put together in just a few weeks of effort.”
IAM Headquarters staff has a history of supporting this veterans facility. In 2022, the IAM raised money to renovate the center courtyard of the facility and add new electronic signage to the entrance driveway.
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