Furniture drop-offs welcome at its Ludlow warehouse.
Dave Felty (center) is president and chief executive officer of Homeward Vets, Inc. He is flanked here by board member Bruce Nicol, left, and volunteer veteran Tim Speer.
Look homeward, veterans, and if you need furnishings for your home after being homeless, David A. Felty is here to help.
He is co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Homeward Vets Inc., a non-profit organization that helps to provide home furnishings to previously homeless veterans who are transitioning into permanent housing.
The organization has helped more than 100 veterans since its founding in March 2012; most are from the Vietnam war but some too from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Relying only on private/commercial contributions and donations of furniture, Homeward Vets assists veterans who have been chronically homeless and this means single men and women as well as families with children.
Ward C.T. Woodruff , president of Hurley & David Air in Springfield .
“They had a real need, and we were able to fulfill it as part of our community outreach,” said Ward C. T. Woodruff, company president.
“We’re appreciative of the work (veterans) do and the sacrifices they make for us. Hopefully this will repay them in some way.”
The donation of the box truck was “mindboggling to us, an absolute godsend,” Felty said, adding that Hurley and David “wanted to be a firm support” of the agency’s work.
Felty said the organization is seeing more need than when it first began, but he attributes that to “our name getting out there” and referrals being made by word of mouth and by state agencies and veterans agencies.
“I’m thrilled,” he said of the referrals, because that means more veterans are getting the help they need.
Felty hopes one day he’ll be put out of a job because the need he is serving no longer exists. But, “I don’t see that happening any time soon,” he said.
Even before Felty and his wife, Lisa M. Felty, incorporated Homeward Vets last year, they were helping area veterans furnish permanent homes, often finding good, used furniture on the side of the road waiting for disposal or for someone to take it away.
A U.S. Navy veteran who served in active duty from 1990 to 1995 and in the reserves from 1995 to 1997, Felty, a Bristol, Tenn., native said he returned from the Gulf War “with good mental support and government services.”
So seeing homeless veterans who might not have had the same returning experience touches him deeply.
“Most of these folks have been in a homeless situation for years,” he has said. “Seeing them kills me, seeing people on the streets begging for food.”
Felty has said he considers other veterans as “kind of like extended family,” and he wants to give them a sense of security that comes from knowing someone cares. And he wants them to go to their new homes without having to worry about getting furniture and other home furnishings.
In addition to helping the veterans, Homeward Vets helps the environment by keeping good, used furnishings out of landfills, he said.
The organization’s warehouse at Ludlow Mills unit 168 is open every Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon for donation drop-offs. However, anyone wishing to donate should call ahead of time to ensure donations can be taken that day. Calls should be made to (413) 203-1479.
The organization does not make home pickups of donations, but lists an organization on its website for individuals who need to hire someone to get the donation to Ludlow.
Cash donations are accepted also; they are used also for emergency food supplies and fuel costs for delivery and pick up of items.
To donate items, make a contribution, get of assistance with homelessness or refer someone who could benefit from this organization, contact Felty at dfelty@homewardvets.org.
For more information, go online to www.homewardvets.org.