2023 Stand Down for Veterans takes place Saturday at Pioneer Park

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - The Stand Down for Veterans Event will take place on Saturday, August 19, at the Pioneer Park Civic Center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Free services and information will be provided to all veterans who come to the event.

Food and clothing will be distributed to those veterans in need. There will even be door prizes and entertainment.

Veterans will have access to basic health care, VA Benefits, legal information, job opportunities, haircuts and more.

Food has been provided to the veterans from the Fairbanks Community Foodbank and all veterans that attend will be able to grab a supply bag filled with food as long as they are available.

For the donated gear and clothes available. winter is the main focus so, it’s going “to be cold weather clothes. jackets, durable jackets, warm jackets, hats, gloves, underwear, socks, warm socks,” said Brad Bunnell, the outreach coordinator for the Fairbanks Vet Center.

This will be the 25th Stand Down Event held in Fairbanks for veterans. Stand Down was started in the 1980′s as a nationwide outreach program to provide services and resources to veterans in need. “It’s almost like a one stop shop,” said Bunnell. In Fairbanks, “a lot of veterans have to walk, they don’t have a means of transportation.” That’s why Stand Down tries to provide as many services as they can at one time and they will help veterans identify what services when the need upon registering at arrival.

While the event is focused on providing aid to veterans that are impoverished or struggling in other ways, some attend to simply enjoy the company of their comrades.

For more information about the Stand Down for Veterans event call Access Alaska at 907-479-7940.

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