‘Stand Down’ Event Shows Power of Local Support for Veterans

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
ONEONTA

The second annual “Stand Down” at the Oneonta Veteran’s Outreach Center drew hundreds of veterans, families, and community members on Saturday, August 22—an overwhelming turnout that organizers say reflects both the need in Otsego County and the strength of the community rallying behind those who served.

OVOC Chief Administrator Gary Flaherty and Supportive Services for Veteran Families Case Manager Kerri Lincoln said the number of new faces was one of the most striking parts of the day.

“We had over 300 people,” Flaherty said, noting that many were first‑time visitors who had never engaged with veteran services before.

Lincoln added, “There are so many community organizations and people…that really want to help and just don’t really know how. This office provides a place for people to do that.”

The Stand Down—rooted in a military term for rest and recovery—has evolved nationally into a grassroots effort to connect homeless and at‑risk veterans with essential services. As Jennifer Stiletto Smith, community engagement and partnership coordinator for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, explained at the event, “Stand downs are really meant to be a hand up, not a hand out.” They offer food, clothing, health screenings, benefit counseling, job support, and referrals to housing, mental health care, and medical services.

“We’ve already been able to arrange for 10 veterans in this county to be contacted next week to get enrolled with primary care,” Stiletto Smith said, emphasizing the life‑saving importance of early engagement: “Sixty percent of the veterans who die every day by suicide are not engaged with VA care.”

If Saturday proved anything, it was that Oneonta shows up for its veterans. Donations poured in by the carload—clothing, food, household goods—and local businesses stepped in with support. Stewart’s Shops donated donuts, Starbucks provided coffee, Casella Waste Management handled garbage removal and Heller’s Farm in Bainbridge continued its weekly tradition of delivering fresh produce.

“Our food pantry is 100 percent community donations,” Flaherty said. “Our clothing pantry is also 100 percent community donations.”

The Outreach Center’s “Clothes to Home” program has become one of its most impactful efforts. Usable clothing stays local for veterans and families. Unusable clothing is sent to Utica, where it is packaged and sold.

“[The Utica Center for Development] took a shipment and gave $33,000.00 back to our veterans program,” Flaherty said. “Either way, it’s going back. Win‑win everywhere.”

Volunteers filled the Armory building at 4 Academy Street on Saturday: Job Corps students, local families and even barbers. More than 30 free haircuts were given by Mack from The Cooperstown Underground Barbershop and Nico from Oneonta, himself a veteran. Massage therapy students, therapy dogs and dozens of service organizations rounded out the day.

One Marine veteran, Riley DeForest, said he expected “one barber and one or two vets.” Instead, he found “a huge turnout…and I was floored by how much the community brought out.” While there, DeForest spoke with a 93‑year‑old Korean War veteran named Vito, who tried repeatedly to tip the barber who cut his hair. “He wouldn’t accept it,” Vito told him.

DeForest said the event reminded him of the unity he felt in the military: “When you are in the military, your community is one single entity…Imagine what the country could be if we were like that everywhere.”

Among the most powerful stories shared Saturday was that of Bernard Saberon, a Vietnam Navy veteran who first came to the Outreach Center homeless, isolated and struggling.

“He could barely make eye contact. He couldn’t fill out a form,” Lincoln recalled.

Flaherty helped Saberon file a compensation claim. Weeks later, Saberon walked in and told Flaherty, “I went and checked my bank account this morning… and it was $42,000.00 in there.”

The retroactive VA compensation changed Saberon’s life. He now has permanent housing, bought a car, volunteers regularly and plays guitar again.

“He participates in everything we do,” Flaherty said. “He’s one of our best volunteers.”

Lincoln added that Saberon’s story also highlights the network behind the Outreach Center. When Saberon was housed, the Sidney Elks Lodge provided a Welcome Home Grant to furnish his new home with bedding, towels, kitchen supplies and more.

“There’s a lot that a story about him could touch on,” Lincoln said. “It shows how our organization provides an all‑encompassing services platform.”

Lincoln said the biggest challenges facing veterans in Otsego County mirror national trends: housing insecurity, food insecurity, social isolation and the rising cost of living. The Stand Down addressed each of these directly: food, clothing, housing referrals, social connection and access to ongoing programming.

The Outreach Center’s monthly veterans’ luncheon has grown from six attendees last October to more than 80. They also host fly‑fishing lessons, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, women veterans nights, grief support groups, and more.

“We really try to do as many veteran activities as possible,” Lincoln said.

Next year’s Stand Down will return to a late-September date, to help better prepare veterans for winter. But Flaherty and Lincoln stressed that community involvement doesn’t need to wait. Clothing, food, and monetary donations are always welcome, and the public is invited to attend the monthly luncheons.

“Come see what we’re doing. Everyone is welcome,” Lincoln said.

Flaherty put it simply: “If somebody comes in that door and they need food or clothing, we don’t ask if they’re a veteran. If they’re in need, we help them.”

In Oneonta, that spirit was unmistakable on Saturday, and it continues every day inside the old armory that has become a lifeline for veterans across the region. To learn more, or to seek assistance, visit the OVOC Facebook page.