Veterans & Family Support: Unmet Needs Disaster Assistance and "The Veterans Behind the “Buddy”® Poppy"

Laurie Dale
2015-2016 Veterans & Family Support
National Ambassador

The Veterans Behind the “Buddy”® Poppy

“The Veterans Behind the “Buddy®” Poppy” video is out, and I am so proud of all the hard work everyone did to put this together. This great tool will show members and the public the behind the scenes work that goes into the assembly of the  “Buddy®” Poppy, while you get to know some of the veterans who assemble them and what it means to them to be able to be a part of this great VFW program!

The “Buddy®” Poppy Program provides so much to so many and it is our job to educate everyone about the “Buddy®” Poppy, including the behind the scenes things that go on. When we are distributing the “Buddy®” Poppy, we often explain that the monies received from donations goes into the Relief Fund to assist veterans, but how many of us tell the person on the street about the veterans and family members that assemble the poppies and what they gain from doing this task? 

If you have a tablet or laptop with WiFi, you could show this video at an Auxiliary meeting or have it playing at your next “Buddy®” Poppy drive. You can also share the video on your Facebook page! Don't have the means, time or equipment to show the video? That’s okay! You can still put an article about the “Veterans Behind the “Buddy®” Poppy in your local newspaper, post the information on a bulletin board so people can view the video at home, include it in your Post/Auxiliary newsletter or give an oral presentation to other civic organizations so they learn the story. Anywhere you look, there is potential to share this information!

You can find a link to both the video and the September 2015 VFW Auxiliary Magazine article “The Veterans Behind the “Buddy®” Poppy” on the VFW Auxiliary website under the “Programs” tab, “Veterans & Family Support.”

VFW Unmet Needs Disaster Assistance

Fires. Floods. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. These natural disasters can cause our service men and women to be burdened by circumstances beyond their control. The VFW Unmet Needs Disaster Assistance program proudly stands ready to assist our service men and women when they are burdened by a state-declared natural disaster such as a fire, flood, hurricane or tornado.

Important information about the VFW Unmet Needs Disaster Assistance program:

• The service member or veteran MUST have served on active-duty other than training within the past 72 months in order to qualify. 
• Assistance is limited to natural disasters which have damaged or forced the service member to vacate their primary residence. 
• Assistance does not apply to vehicle damage or vehicle insurance deductibles. 
• A one page application for Natural Disaster Assistance must be completed. 
• The application must be received within 30 days of the state-declared natural disaster. 

The Unmet Needs Program’s Natural Disaster Assistance is as follows:

• Total loss of the primary residence:  $500
• Power loss or damage to the home:  $300

The application can be found at www.vfw.org under the “Assistance” tab,“Financial Aid/Assistance,” Unmet Needs Disaster Resources. Completed applications can be emailed to unmetneeds@vfw.org or faxed to (816) 968-2779.

If you would like to contribute to the VFW Unmet Needs Program, you can find the Unmet Needs Donation Form on the VFW website under "Unmet Needs Resources" and you can send it to:

VFW Unmet Needs Program

406 West 34th St.

Suite 920

Kansas City, MO 64111