Six VVA Chapters Assist in Florida Hurricane Relief

Florida Vietnam Veterans of America chapters recently joined to provide relief to the Florida Panhandle, which was struck by Hurricane Michael in October. Big Bend Chapter 96 in Tallahassee received a 15-foot box truck full of supplies from five Northeast Florida chapters on Oct. 24, destined for hard-hit Malone, Fla. Chapter 1092 in Gainesville brought an SUV full of personal care products, snacks and other supplies.

VVA’s Florida State Council purchased a 7,500-watt generator to power a well in Blountstown to provide fresh water to people in Calhoun County, and other Florida chapters lent financial support. Panhandle communities have been slow to recover, Chapter 96 President Joe West told the Sebastian Daily.

“The problem is going to be over the next two or three months when people forget about those folks, and they are still struggling to have something to drink, or have something to eat, or clean themselves up,” West said. “Our goal [is] to collect stuff from other chapters and throughout the Tallahassee area and basically try to run a relief trailer over to them every week for probably the next three or four months.”

The Florida State Council is accepting donations at www.vvafsc.org.