ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY-- Sometimes the people who deserve extra care the most get overlooked or forgotten.

A James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center program is hoping to change that.

All Veterans, especially those experiencing homelessness or hardship, can gather for a "Stand Down" this Saturday, Oct. 10. It'll be held at the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event will give the men and women who served our country to share a meal and get connected to community resources. Free clothing distribution, free seasonal flu shots, a lunch, and information on enrollment in VA will be available.

In the Vietnam conflict, the term "Stand Down" was used when a combat unit was removed from the field and brought to base camp for rest and rehabilitation. In the years that followed, "Stand Downs" were created for homeless Veterans to give them a place to gather resources and energy that had been depleted by living without a home, often in harsh conditions on the street. A "Stand Down" is designed as an intervention to bring a wide range of services to Veterans, while raising their morale.

For more information, contact the Homeless Coordinator at (814) 943-8146, ext. 7640.

The James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center is based in Altoona, with three additional locations. It offers services to the more than 87,000 Veterans living in a 14 county area of Pennsylvania, including Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Mifflin, and Somerset.

James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center home page: http://www.altoona.va.gov/
Hollidaysburg Veterans Home home page: http://www.milvet.state.pa.us/DMVA/179.htm