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Uploaded: Saturday, September 15, 2012, 8:58 AM
Updated: Friday, September 21, 2012, 6:38 AM
East Bay Stand Down wraps up its 4-day event as homeless veterans head back to where they were
Group's goal at Fairgrounds event was to provide needed services, a bit of cheer
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by Jeb Bing
Pleasanton Weekly Staff
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| Hundreds of Bay Area homeless veterans are back to wherever they were a week ago after four days of special care during the East Bay Stand Down at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
The more than 450 veterans left by bus for their home destinations Sunday with roast beef sandwiches and more, possibly their last full meal of the day.
The giant tent city where they lived, ate and received care also is gone, emptying the space that had been provided free of charge by Fairgrounds director Rick Pickering and his staff.
While here, the veterans were offered a wide range of services not readily available where they're living. These included medical exams, legal advice, haircuts and even special care for the pets they brought along.
The pets, by the way, included even a parakeet and a snake, said former Judge Ron Hyde, who supervised Saturday night's dinner for the homeless men and women.
Hundreds of volunteers donated their services.
Among the favored free services were free hot showers and plenty of food.
The East Bay Stand Down organization also offered all new clothing, boots and other basic needs. Through the support of local dentists, it offered free oral health care, as well as follow-up care after the event.
Starting in 2000, the group has put on the event every two years. It is aimed at breaking the cycle of problems facing many Bay Area vets.
"Stand down" is a war term that refers to the practice of removing combat troops from the battlefield so that they can be cared for in a safe area, according to the group's website.
"We provide what we call a 'one stop shop,'" said Jerry Yahiro, who is on the board of directors for the event, known as East Bay Stand Down. The organizing group's goal is to end homelessness among veterans
Yahiro said the last numbers he has seen indicate that there are an estimated 15,000 homeless veterans living in the nine-county Bay Area.
Although many of the services offered at the Pleasanton event are available to veterans on a daily basis, Yahiro said they are often scattered and difficult to find.
It is estimated that there are more than 180,000 needy and homeless veterans throughout the country on any given night. A significant number of these veterans have had little or no contact with the Veterans Administration for either monetary or medical benefits. Nor have they had much contact with other agencies offering assistance.
Since the first Stand Down held in San Diego in 1988, Stand Downs have taken place in over 200 cities nationwide. Over 100,000 veterans and their families have benefited from Stand Downs. These events have proved to be very effective in helping to break the cycle of homelessness.
East Bay Stand Down is sponsored by a broad base of community agencies led by the VA's Concord Vet Center, the Rotary Clubs in the East Bay counties, the Viet Nam Veterans of Diablo Valley and the Ladies Auxiliary & VFW Post 6435 of Antioch.
Corporate sponsors include Safeway, AT&T, Peet's Coffee, Lawrence Livermore Labs, and many others. Significant support is received from the different branches of the U.S. military, led by the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Brigade.
Saturday night's dinner for the vets was hosted by Rotary Clubs in Pleasanton, Dublin and the Livermore Valley.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Informed, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 17, 2012 at 11:58 am Great job of serving Veterens that have fallen on hard times. Cudos to the people at the Fairgrounds for helping to sponsor this important event!
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Posted by Mr. Mittens, a resident of another community, on Sep 18, 2012 at 8:13 am What so worries me greatly about these homeless vets is that so many of them, for whatever reasons, may end up on the govt dole at taxpayer expense. Then to add bad to worse, they'll support Obama because they'll be part of the nontaxpaying 47-48 percent. This isn't the kind of America I want to live in.
Vote Mitt --- He isn't brown but could have been.
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Posted by Chemist, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Sep 18, 2012 at 8:40 am Mr. Mittens,
Don't you have anything better to do than to pretend that you are voting for Mitt after feigning idiocy. Most of the people voting for Mitt have no problem with our government taking care of homeless vets or anyone else who is or has been a contributing member of our society. We do have a problem with government taking from us to care for the investors in Solyndra, to bail out Warren Buffet's companies, to initiate lawsuits against anyone who actually attempts to enforce the laws of the United States, and to subsidize the governments of countries that storm our embassies and burn our flag.
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Posted by Mr. Mittens, a resident of another community, on Sep 18, 2012 at 9:19 am Chemist, how delightful. My youngest boy had a chemistry set and played with it a lot. He liked making Kitty Gas which stunk up the entirety of our four basements.
Yes, in addition to the 47% who don't pay federal income tax and hence deserve entitlements -- elderly, infirm, poor kids, unemployed, combat soldiers -- we need to expand to incude Solyndra investors, Warren Buffet and his employees, and those who resist rounding up Mexicans (I might have been one of thse) and making them self deport themselves. Now we're up to 50%. Then we have to include the union thugs and government workers -- often one and the same. That puts the tally at 57% or so. No wonder why I can't get elected! It's not me! It's the citizenry!
Vote Mitt -- A man who wears compassion for others on his sleeve. And being a man of the people, he'll always ask you: Do you think Ann is getting stale?
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Posted by Tango , a resident of the Vineyard Avenue neighborhood, on Sep 18, 2012 at 9:40 am It was such an honer to volunteer at the Stand Down. A group I work with brought in horses for the vets to ride. You should have seen the smiles on their faces. We also had big smiles. Some of the 50 or so vets we had ride, some had never ridden a horse. Other Vets rode and said it reminded them of their childhood. We all tried to thank as many vets that we could for their service.
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Posted by Pete Halver, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 18, 2012 at 12:48 pm Having just finished the Stand Down and coordinating all the meals served along with Bob Johnson and Dave Ham I can say that serving our Vets is a prevlage that everyone should try. These men and women gave od themselves to their country and should be looked on with dignity. I for one salute each and everyone who has or is serving. These Vets gave and when in some small way we give back then God Bless us all.
We were able to provide over 6800 meals this year, thanks to the generiousity on many people and organization. So in 2014 think about how you can help and until then remember that many of the homeless Vets served to keep our homes safe ans the country strong. God Bless them all SjsXm
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Posted by Mr. Mittens, a resident of Dublin, on Sep 18, 2012 at 1:25 pm I'd like to do whatever I can to reduce the numbers people dependent upon government assistance. The less people dependant on the government, the less who'll vote Democrat, and the more votes for my party! These government dependents will appreciate the pro-business, pro-job agenda I propose that will raise the standard of living of more Americans, and reduce the percentage of government dependence.
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Posted by Jim Magillicutty, a resident of the Canyon Meadows neighborhood, on Sep 18, 2012 at 6:25 pm Removed
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Posted by Mr. Mittens, a resident of another community, on Sep 18, 2012 at 7:49 pm By golly, I forgot to mention that the more poor people I can get to pay more taxes, the longer me and others like me will get to pay no taxes at all. What kind of a deal is THAT, eh?
Vote Mitt -- He realizes that poor people would like to pay more taxes. Call this tightening the loopholes so shamelessly taken advantage of by low income folks in this great country that allows me to use get govt entitlements for my thoroughbreds. And Ann will appreciate it, dependent on whether she gets stale or not.
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Posted by Tigerwoods jr, a resident of the Castlewood neighborhood, on Oct 11, 2012 at 12:49 pm Mr mittens & any other uninformed romey voters where due I start first lets talk about hispanic's or indians how u white people take there land & try 2 kick them out trace your roots your land is england but like cuba kick out all there criminal's to florida so did the Brith's excuse my spelling when I was on the front line fighting for this racist ass country they just gave us bean's & bullets not books.Menwhile I had won of my golf partners say if u don't like this country go back to Africa (lol)I said sure soon as you get out of africa leave the dimonds & gold though.I never could understand how i can golf in the desert ie. Las Vegas ,Reno,Palm Springs but yet we can't get warter or inside plumming to every house in africa come on Marriot's trade you some dimond's for clean h20 see it was clean warter before you guy's came over exsrating mineral's just like clorox have been dumping toxic waste warter over the boader for decades & wouder why mexicans have cleff mouth & other diforemites.I have'nt even touch on reperation's yet respond back w/ cmmitt Sgt Tigerwoods jr
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