Free rides to Stand Down for Manatee County's homeless veterans on Saturday
MANATEE -- Manatee County Area Transit, already veteran friendly with half-price fares for vets since 2014, is offering a hand up Saturday for those most in need.
Homeless veterans can use a free pass to get to the Stand Down event from 8 a.m.-noon Saturday at the Manatee County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St. W., Palmetto.
At Stand Down, homeless people can get a hot breakfast, clothing, medical and dental screenings, haircuts, eye exams and showers. Employment services, legal consultation and flu shots are also available.
Representatives of the Man
atee County Veterans Services Office and Turning Points will be onsite to assist homeless veterans.
Manatee County commissioners adopted a resolution this week authorizing MCAT to offer free transport for veterans to Stand Down.
Free bus passes for veterans are available at Salvation Army, Turning Points and Resurrection House. Vets should bring a VA card or DD-214 for identification.
Carl Hunsinger, vice chairman of the Manatee County Veterans' Council and former transit manager for Manatee County, applauded the free rides for homeless vets.
Manatee and Sarasota counties have Stand Down, and free rides for homeless vets should be coordinated on a regional basis, Hunsinger said.
"Veterans appreciate the fact that the counties are doing this," Hunsinger said.
In July, President Barack Obama signed a bill, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, authorizing an ID card for all veterans. The new VA card would make it easier for vets to prove their service.
The DD-214 form, which documents a veteran's service, can be lost or become tattered and torn over the years.
Once the VA card is issued, vets would be more easily get services requiring an ID, Hunsinger said.
Stand Down, now in its 17th year, expects to serve up to 500 men, women and children Saturday, said Margi Dawson, development director for Turning Points. About one-quarter of those served at Stand Down are veterans, Dawson said.
James A. Jones Jr., Herald reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter @jajones1.
This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 11:56 PM with the headline "Free rides to Stand Down for Manatee County's homeless veterans on Saturday ."