Local Volunteers Bring Relief to Veterans at VA Hospital

Over 50 volunteers from Malverne, West Hempstead and other parts of Long Island paid a special visit to Northport VA Medical Center to bring some relief to veterans for the holidays.

Joan Klopfer, of the in West Hempstead, along with her fellow volunteers, loaded up two trucks filled with gifts on Dec. 1 and drove them nearly 30 miles to the veterans' hospital.

Klopfer, who was selected to chair this event, had coordinated this year's drive. Through a letter campaign, the American Legion put out a call for monetary donations and collected enough money to purchase over 350 gifts.

The presents aren't actually for the veterans. They are for their loved ones-sons, husbands, wives, daughters, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or anyone they choose to send a present to this year.

Over the course of two days, volunteers came from the American Legion Posts in West Hempstead, Malverne, Glen Cove, Hicksville and other places on Long Island, to transform a basement room in the auditorium of the Northport VA Medical Center into Santa's workshop. Each vet was invited to select two items from a sprawling collection of gifts, which included everything from toys to photo frames.

"[The gifts] are all over the place, since I don't know who I am buying for. I don't know if they are male, female, a child, an adult or what their age is," Klofper said.

The veterans then picked holiday cards and handed everything over to the volunteers, who wrapped, packed and placed shipping labels on the packages. They will be sent wherever the vets desired. For those patients unable to travel across the center's sprawling campus to pick out their presents, volunteers, including Carol Hassett, president of the Ladies Auxiliary of the in Malverne, loaded up carts and brought some gift options to them to choose, and cards and labels for them to fill out.

Gerald, a Vietnam veteran, who works with Volunteer Services and helps disabled vets like himself, made the trip to the auditorium and selected gifts to send to his two nieces.The Brooklyn-born man, who currently resides in Long Beach, appreciated the help around the holidays.

"I'm very humbled today," he said.

Seeing the smiles on their fellow veterans faces has brought volunteers Jimmy Middleton, of Glen Cove, and Anthony Paternostro, of Hicksville, out to help with the program year after year. They spent both Thursday and Friday wrapping and packing gifts.

"They're very thankful for what we do," Paternostro said. "A lot won't be able to get home for Christmas."