Angel Blog

Urgent Hurricane Relief for Veterans

As recovery from the hurricanes continues, Soldiers’ Angels remains committed to providing hurricane relief support to Veterans affected by the devastation. In Part 1, we shared how our team quickly mobilized to help homeless Veterans in Asheville and Augusta. With your generous donations, we’ve been able to provide much-needed items like clothing, hygiene kits, and blankets to these areas. While the recovery efforts in these regions are ongoing, the need for help has only grown.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, deliver water, meals and non-perishable goods to seniors citizens residing in the Spanish Lake community in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Oct. 11, 2024. The state of Florida established point of distribution centers throughout Florida and deployed various logistic staging areas to ensure supplies are available to those in need. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech Sgt. Chelsea Smith)

Now, a flood of requests is coming in from Florida as the aftermath of Hurricane Milton becomes more apparent. Communities across the state are grappling with the devastation, and the calls for assistance from VA facilities are increasing daily. In Orlando, we’ve received an urgent request for air mattresses to support displaced Veterans who have lost their homes. Meanwhile, in Bay Pines, the need for blankets and clothing items has skyrocketed as they continue to care for Veterans impacted by both the storm and existing challenges like homelessness.

Many Veterans who have lost everything in the wake of both Hurricanes Helene and Milton are now asking for support just to afford a night in a hotel. With their homes destroyed or uninhabitable, these Veterans face immense uncertainty about their immediate future. Requests are pouring in from those who are displaced, seeking temporary shelter while they work to rebuild their lives. The need for emergency housing is urgent, and Soldiers’ Angels is working hard to assist these Veterans during this critical time.

But it’s not just housing and warmth that’s in high demand. VA food pantries across the state are struggling to keep shelves stocked. Soldiers’ Angels has stepped in to ensure that if these facilities run low, we can help provide critical food assistance to Veterans who are facing hunger on top of everything else.

Our mission to assist Military-connected families during times of crisis has never been more important. Whether it’s through providing the basic necessities like air mattresses and blankets or restocking food pantries, we are determined to ensure these families are not forgotten. However, we cannot do it alone.

How You Can Help

(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech Sgt. Chelsea Smith)

You can help by shopping from our Amazon registry or by making a financial donation that allows us to purchase exactly what’s needed for each location.

Most-Needed Items for Asheville and Augusta: clothing donations (including sweatpants, coats, gloves, hats), sleeping bags, and blankets.

Most-Needed Items for Florida: clothing donations (including t-shirts and sweatpants), blankets, air mattresses, and mattress covers.

Alternatively, if you’re purchasing items locally, you can ship them to our San Antonio warehouse, where they will be palletized and sent directly to the VAs requesting support.

Ship items to:
Soldiers’ Angels Disaster Relief
2895 NE Loop 410, Suite 107
San Antonio, Texas 78218

Please note: Many of these VA facilities are dealing with their own storm damage, making it difficult for them to accept individual donations at this time. By sending all items through our San Antonio warehouse, we can consolidate and ship full pallets of relief supplies. This approach ensures the facilities can efficiently receive and distribute the aid, without being overwhelmed by hundreds of separate packages.

The work isn’t done, and your help is vital to ensure that we can keep providing this essential assistance. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of Veterans who have given so much for our country. Let’s continue to stand by them in their time of need.

U.S. Army soldiers from the Florida and South Carolina National Guard search for residents in need of assistance near Stuart, Florida, Oct. 10, 2024. Areas of the city were decimated by tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton as the storm progressed across the state. The soldiers are assigned to Charlie Company 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and Detachment 1, 1051st Transportation Company, 1050 Transportation Battalion, in Florida and South Carolina, respectively. Currently, there are over 6,500 soldiers and airmen from Guard units in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, Arkansas, New York, and Louisiana assisting state and local officials in response operations across impacted areas of Florida. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Cammy Alberts/photo edited for privacy protection)

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.