Page 8 - Wayne Dispatch Pages

VETERAN’S, Continued from page 6 pay their rent. Westland Housing
Commission participates in the Sec-
produce, milk, and eggs. Sometimes tion 8 Housing Choice Voucher
meat.” (HCV) program, so the vets only have
With the partnership with Glean- to pay a certain percentage of rent.
ers, Veteran’s Haven is able to pro- At present time, all four units are
vide a food pantry day every Tuesday. occupied. So there is currently a
The food bank is firstly for veterans waiting list for the permanent hous-
and then people within the commu- ing.
nity can come after. Two and a half years ago, Vet-
Veteran’s Haven welcomes cash eran’s Haven suffered a devastating
donations (which can be dropped off loss when Vince, the president and
at their location), new-clothes dona- founder, passed away.
tions (because of COVID, they ask After his passing, Berna took
for no used-clothes donations), food some time away from Veteran’s
donation, or volunteers to help with Haven.
the food bank on Tuesday mornings. “It was hard to come back here
Veteran’s Haven is located at without him, but it's rewarding to me
4924 South Wayne Rd. It is open 9 with the memories. It's a great place
a.m. - 12 p.m. Monday-Friday. They to be; helping people, especially our
are closed on holidays. veterans,” said Berna. “We have a
On Friday, February 11th, Vet- great board that kept everything run-
eran’s Haven received an enormous ning while I was gone.”
donation from Cleveland-Cliffs. A There are nine board members
truck dropped off 16,000 pounds of total, consisting of: now President
canned goods and dry goods. Judy Berna, Vice President Vern
“We were shocked,” said Berna. Amos, Secretary Mary Pierson, treas-
“We’ve never gotten that much food at urer, and trustees. With the board
one time from one company. It was members and volunteers, there are
just amazing. They just kept bringing around 25 people involved with Vet-
it in and bringing it in.” eran’s Haven almost at all times.
The non-profit runs on donations “I promised Vince I would keep it
and volunteers with the purpose of [Veteran’s Haven] running as long as
helping homeless and needy veter- I can,” said Berna. “I’ve got a great
ans with not only food and clothing, team around here. A great board and
but even job opportunities. Some- great volunteers, but we are always
times Veteran’s Haven will receive looking for more volunteers.”
phone calls or emails for job oppor- If you are interested in donating,
tunities for veterans. volunteering, or looking for more in-
Veteran’s Haven also refers to the formation, you can contact Veteran’s
US Veterans Affairs Department (VA) Haven by email at veteran-
with medical benefits for the vets. As shavenorg@yahoo.com, phone at
long as the vets were honorably dis- (734)728-0527, or find them on
charged, they are entitled to services. Facebook at Veteran’s Haven.
There are four one-bedroom- The Gleaners truck arrives every
apartment units in Norwayne provid- Tuesday anywhere from 7:30-10
ing permanent housing for veterans a.m., so volunteers are asked to
now as well. In order to live there, show up around 8:30 a.m. on Tues-
the vets have to follow the rules and day if they wish to volunteer.

8 · March 2022 · The Wayne Dispatch