Veterans’ Village in Punta Gorda gets makeover from volunteers

Benches built by volunteers  MARY WOZNIAK / FLORIDA WEEKLY

The VOA Veterans’ Village in Punta Gorda has a fresh new look these days — after a major spruce-up for the facility that helps veterans who were homeless or near homelessness on their journey to healing, self-sufficiency and a place of their own.

More than 400 volunteers descended on the village, run by the Volunteers of America of Florida (VOA), for a blitz of upgrades and renovation to the exterior and interior of the 16-unit village at 1250 Taylor St. The majority of the volunteers came from The Home Depot Foundation, the leadership and staff from Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay and the VOA. When they were done, there was new landscaping, including a privacy hedge around the property perimeter and pool; an upgraded facility entrance; new pergolas; beds of ornamental plants, shrubs and flowers lined with pavers; new raised gardens; and outdoor furniture.

The event, held April 10, was the first time so many volunteers had come together for a Florida VOA event, said Stephanie Vranich, vice president of development and outreach. That was exciting, as was the fact that The Home Depot Foundation surprised them with a $100,000 donation the night before the event.

A group of volunteers from The Home Depot Foundation work to renovate the VOA Veterans’ Village. MARY WOZNIAK / FLORIDA WEEKLY

The donation was to renovate eight kitchens in the veteran units, including appliances, cabinetry, electrical and plumbing work, said Erin Izen, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation, the nonprofit arm of The Home Depot.

Besides helping homeless veterans, the foundation provides skilled trades training to help fill the nation’s labor gaps, as well as national disaster response, she said.

“We have already given over $500 million to veterans causes. We’re on a path to $750 million by 2030,” Izen said.

They work with other national nonprofit partners, like the VOA, she said.

“Home Depot does this as part of our culture.”

There were orange T-shirts worn by The Home Depot volunteers everywhere you looked, hammering, sawing, measuring, digging, planting, painting.

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Everywhere, the theme was the same: giving back to those who have served our country.

Volunteers ranged from The Home Depot leadership to vendors that supply The Home Depot with building materials, said Linda Fortunato, who lives in Punta Gorda and helped open the Punta Gorda Home Depot. Now she manages the Bonita Springs store.

The volunteers also came from across the country to help.

David Lester, a big man with a big smile, came from West Virginia. A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, this was his 11th event volunteering with The Home Depot. He moved swiftly back and forth through the crowd, delivering wheelbarrows full of bags of mulch or soil. He works at DuPont and co-chairs the DuPont Veterans Network. Lester said he was there “to give back to veterans who are not as lucky as I am.”

The VOA Veterans Village is a nonprofit facility that provides transitional housing as well as an array of social services for veterans moving toward a new life of independence. That includes job training, counseling and education. The veterans do pay a nominal amount of rent for the units they live in, according to whatever means they have available, Vranich said. It may be as little as $5 a month.

LESTER

Also, “It’s not a cookie-cutter service,” she said. VOA sits down with each veteran to see what their needs are, and find out how they arrived at this point, she said.

“We work with them and get them to a place where they can find permanent housing and get homelessness behind them.”

At the Punta Gorda village, they can house 24 veterans at a time, male or female, Vranich said. The VOA has several other villages in Florida. They also help individuals and families experiencing homelessness, those diagnosed with mental health and cognitive conditions, and vulnerable seniors.

The nonprofit Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay helps community members with imperative home repairs, housing, education and other forms of assistance — free of cost. The nonprofit has repaired more than 1,000 homes across 20 counties since Hurricane Ian.

At Punta Gorda’s village, “We are here to make an impact in the lives of our veterans,” said Jose Garcia, executive director.

Other volunteers marveled at the enthusiasm and unity displayed by the volunteers working together. Randy Wiederin of Minneapolis was shoveling a large mound of gravel.

“It’s a privilege to be here,” Wiederin said.

Patrick Davis of Dallas, Texas, was painting an exterior wall on one of the buildings. He was there with a fencing supply group.

“It’s amazing to see how much one group can accomplish in this short a time,” he said.

Laura Wood and Jennifer Young of Boise Cascade building materials took a few moments out from working to do a few impromptu dance moves to the music being played by a nearby DJ to pump up the crowd. David Bulk, their boss, said they were working side by side with people who would otherwise be competing with each other in the business world, and they become friends. “It’s like a fraternity,” he said.

The best part is seeing the end result, Young said.

“It’s very rewarding,” Wood said. ¦

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