Village Church raises $66,000 for homeless veterans

A “Drive-By Drop-Off” of gently used furniture and household supplies to help homeless vets has sparked a wave of donations for the Village Church Homeless Veterans Initiative. Since donors drove to the church on Saturday, Sept. 26 – and received a free car wash -- the church has collected $66,000 in addition to a truckload of furniture and household goods for veterans moving into apartments across North County. Under the direction of church deacon Jason Karches, volunteers ages 8 to 80 washed more than three dozen cars and assisted Interfaith Community Services of Escondido with the collection of living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom items needed to set up a home. Social media spread the word and checks started arriving from near and far.

“Village Church cares about our veterans,” said the Rev. Dr. Jan Farley, associate pastor. “The ongoing support we receive for our Homeless Veteran Initiative shows how much the community appreciates the men and women who have served our country.”

The Homeless Veterans Initiative continues to accept online donations at https://villagechurch.org/give/online-giving or checks can be sent to the Village Church, Box 704, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. 92067 (please add on memo HVI for Homeless Veterans Initiative).