PEORIA Ill. (WMBD) — Goodwill of Central Illinois hosted its 15th annual “Stand Down for Homeless Veterans” Saturday morning.
Hundreds of homeless veterans showed up to take advantage of the resources provided.
Goodwill offered workshops and seminars for suicide awareness, depression, PTSD, and sobriety.
Goodwill of Central Illinois brought in more than 100 volunteers to help the homeless veterans.
CEO Don Johnson said every year he sees multiple veterans travel from as far as Springfield and Peru, just to get some of the free resources.
“They’ve asked us to take over the whole state in doing these, and I’ve said no because we understand Central Illinois, we care about this community first, and we don’t want to spread our staff too thin,” said Johnson. “So to do it in Southern Illinois or up in Chicago, it’s not our interest. We’re born and raised here, and it’s what we commit to is here.”
He said after the vets complete their seminars they get to fill their bags with gloves, hats, scarves, winter coats, and any other supplies they’ll need to prepare for winter on the streets.
