MACV’s mission is to end homelessness for Veterans in Minnesota. Kirk Jones, U.S. Army Veteran, moved to Minnesota in search of opportunity, but after spending the money in his pocket on a hotel, he had no choice but to try shelters. Finally, the street became his home.

“I spent the $1,200 that I had, and then I had no choice but to go. That was the first time I had ever been in a shelter.”

Kirk came close to giving up when he received a call from MACV’s James McCloden, hotel program manager. James and MACV was able to get Kirk off the street and into transitional housing, giving Jones time to breathe, time to think, time to heal.

“Without MACV I would still be trying to figure it out.”

The Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans is a non-profit committed to caring for Veterans like Kirk. His journey, his story, is familiar to us. Every person we assist fulfills our promise and brings us closer to accomplishing our mission.

We are grateful to Reg Chapman and WCCO CBS Channel 4 for their continued coverage of our efforts. Their Home for the Holidays campaign has sparked the imagination of the Twin Cities and warmed the hearts of many who hear these stories.

Right now is giving season and your help is wanted. We’re just $10,000 shy of our goal of $750,000 and you can aid our cause by directly contributing to our mission at mac-v.org/donate. Right now your contributions are doubled through a $100,000 matching donation by a Minnesota foundation for Veterans. Every dollar helps, so head over and make a difference today.

You can read more of Kirk’s amazing journey in our previous blog post, here.