Hundreds of Berks veterans have received help from local emergency assistance program

Hundreds of Berks County veterans have received help from a new emergency assistance program that is run by the county veterans affairs office and relies on community donations.

The program began in 2022 and received a start-up grant from the state but since then has been financed solely through private financial contributions and fundraisers, said Berks veterans director Jay Ostrich.

It is intended to fill holes in services to veterans that would otherwise go unfilled, helping veterans who are in need buy bus passes, cover utility and rent bills, buy food and pay for other necessities they cannot afford.

“We have hundreds of Berks veterans struggling with food insecurity and bills, and we are so tremendously grateful for all who donate their time, talents and treasures to fill in the gaps with this program,” Ostrich said. “We are tremendously blessed.”

Typically the program helps about 15 Berks veterans a week, some of whom receive assistance the day they request it, he said.

Liz and Doug Graybill of Veterans Making a Difference show Berks County Veterans Affairs Director Jay Ostrich and Executive Director Will Tobin the storage room with supplies for veterans at the Paul R. Gordon Veteran Social Center at Sixth and Greenwich streets on Friday. The nonprofit runs the center. BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Recently the fund helped a Vietnam veteran who is no longer able to work due to a heart attack pay off two tax liens and avoid his home being put up for a tax sale.

Another example is a Marine whom the fund allowed to shop to stock his fridge for the first time since being homeless and jailed, the first independence he’s had to make food choices in years.

The program is intended to not only help veterans with emergency needs but guide them toward independence, Ostrich said.

It has been effective, he said, mentioning that several veterans who received assistance from the fund later donated back to it.

“That shows that we’re doings things right,” he said. “We think of the help as a hand up, not a handout.”

Though it is the veterans office that decides who qualifies for assistance, the fund is audited by the county controller’s office.

The need from veterans in Berks outweighs the available funds, which is why Ostrich counts on generous contributions from the community like those he’s received recently.

On Friday at the Paul R. Gordon Veteran Social Center in Reading, which is run by the nonprofit Veterans Making a Difference, a $5,000 check from the group was presented to Ostrich for the fund.

From left, Berks County Veterans Affairs Executive Director Will Tobin and Director Jay Ostrich accept a $5,000 check from Veterans Making a Difference founders Liz and Doug Graybill on Friday at the Paul R. Gordon Veteran Social Center at Sixth and Greenwich streets. The nonprofit runs the center. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Liz and Doug Graybill, who lead the nonprofit, said they intend to keep donating to the fund. That will allow them to help other veterans in addition to the 20 or 30 they usually welcome to their center each day, Liz Graybill said.

It was the first visit to the center for Ostrich, who appreciated the support of the Graybills.

“To have the confidence and financial backing of these two great Berks veterans who have been caring for our local veterans for decades is humbling and motivating,” Ostrich said.

Liz and Doug Graybill from Veterans Making a Difference greet, from left, Berks County Veterans Affairs Executive Director Will Tobin and Director Jay Ostrich on Friday before presenting a $5,000 check in support of the Veteran Temporary Assistance program at the Paul R. Gordon Veteran Social Center at Sixth and Greenwich streets. The nonprofit runs the center. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Other recent donations included $16,000 from West Lawn-based Pagoda Realty’s Legacy of Love golf tournament and $10,000 from the North End Rod and Gun Club in Reading.

There have also been many smaller donations, Ostrich said, including the $7 in crinkled bills that a young woman in Wyomissing recently handed him after learning about the fund at an event.

“It all helps,” he said. “And we will do everything we can to use these resources to help and heal our Berks veterans.”