Chosen 300 Ministries holds Veterans Day dinner for those in need

PHILADELPHIA - On Veterans Day, a local non-profit is showing its gratitude by setting the table for a warm meal and good will.

Sadly, a fifth of Philadelphia's homeless population are veterans.

The alarming rate of veterans who are homeless is an issue that Chosen 300 Ministries Director Brian Jenkins knows all too well.

"My brother served in the Navy for 20 years. He got out of the Navy and retired," Jenkins said. "A year later, he died, and the reason for his death is because he could not access health services."

That loss drove Jenkins to make sure others know they are appreciated and supported.

"We not only provide meals, but we do job training, computer labs, expungement services so if a person has a record, we can get their record clean so they can become employable. We have health clinics; we have barber shops. We do a lot of things to not only help people get food but also move toward self-sufficiency."

Chosen 300 Ministries has been giving back for over 20 years.

Every Veterans Day weekend, they bring our heroes in need a night of food and fellowship.

"A whole lot of guys are suffering from the mental support and the different challenges you go through," said Veteran Stephen Garrison. "It can be very stressful, so it’s nice when people want to reach out and help you."

A dinner and a helping hand for our hometown heroes who so often are forgotten.

Chosen 300 provides more than 150,000 meals to homeless veterans throughout the region and has locations worldwide.

To learn more and support their cause, head to the Chosen 300 website, here.