Vet Fest in Farmingdale aims to support, encourage veterans who need help

Veterans gathered in Farmingdale Saturday for Vet Fest – a day of support for veterans on Long Island.

Groups like the United Veterans Beacon House and the Long Island Center for Recovery were on hand to offer their services.

Organizers said the goal of the event is to encourage veterans to reach out for help.

"I think our veterans are trained to help others, not necessarily themselves. So to ask for help is really challenging sometimes. We try to reach out to them, we try to normalize the conversation, we try to encourage people if they are concerned about someone to not be afraid to ask," said Amy Millheiser, of the Long Island Veteran Suicide Prevention Coalition.

If you are a veteran in need of help, you can reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline . The organization has experts who specialize in helping veterans.