Wakefield Police Help Give Coats To Veterans In Need

WAKEFIELD, MA — The Wakefield Police Department participated in the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation's Coats4Vets Buckets event Tuesday, Dec. 8. The event brought together local police departments, state police and sheriff's departments to help distribute coats to veterans in need.

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, local police officers from 351 cities and towns convoyed in police cruisers and other law enforcement vehicles to Gillette Stadium to retrieve Coats4Vets buckets. Each bucket contains a coat, masks, hand sanitizer and snacks that will be distributed to veterans in local departments' cities and towns.

Wakefield police collected 10 buckets, which they'll bring back to benefit veterans in the community. The distribution method of the buckets is meant to encourage local authorities to engage and connect with homeless veterans in their communities.

"We are thankful for the opportunity to strengthen our connection with the veterans in our town by lending a helping hand, and I commend the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation for their tremendous work in making today's event happen," Wakefield Police Chief Steven Skory said.

The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation has distributed 34,500 coats to veterans since 2016. The sponsors and donors for this year's Coats4Vets Buckets include the Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, New England Patriots Foundation, Ocean State Job Lot and Home Depot.

About Massachusetts Military Support Foundation:

The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation is an organization dedicated to providing programs, services and goods that help satisfy critical needs and enhance the well-being and quality of life for veterans, active-duty Military and their families in Massachusetts. Each of their programs is designed to have maximum impact on the many issues veterans and active-duty Military face.

The MMSF also run three empowerment centers throughout Massachusetts. Each of these empowerment centers provide food, personal hygiene products and other life essentials for families These centers allow servicemen and their families to connect to various services such as health care, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and job training among others. Since they opened these empowerment centers have served over 383,000 veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families who live in Massachusetts.