the birth and life of helmets of hope
In 2014-15, we collected basic hygiene supplies for homeless veterans which we donated to what was then the VA’s Homeless Veterans Outreach Center in Rock Island. That was a satisfying ministry, but following the second such collection we caught a vision for an expanded ministry to the local homeless veteran population.
Consultations with the Outreach Center identified a need for essential household supplies - cleaners, paper- and laundry products, a broom, rags, etc - for veterans who were transitioning out of homelessness and into housing of their own with the help of VA housing subsidies. In response, we birthed the ministry now called "Helmets of Hope," in which we provide essential household supplies to said veterans through partner agencies, currently, the VA's Community Resources and Referral Center(CRRC) and the Veterans Accessing Long-Term Opportunities and Resources program (VALOR) of the Humility of Mary Shelter, both located in Davenport, as well the Elks Lodge #298 in Davenport. We held the first Helmets fundraisers in August 2015, then delivered around 100 "move-in kits" - each containing one of every supply item we provide - in December of that year.
Since those first steps, Helmets of Hope has served veterans in a wide area in Illinois and Iowa. For a time, our service area reached to the Illinois-Indiana border.
As of August 2023, we've made nearly 150 supply deliveries to our partners, providing nearly 29,000 supply items to as many as 1,000, if not more, veterans. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we averaged about two deliveries - nearly 400 items total - per month.
Here are some images of Helmets of Hope in action: