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21521 E. Michigan Ave., Marshall, MI
269-781-2245, 269-781-4352 or 888-289-
By DAVID S. BEGG
A friend of mine bought
a new mattress. Her “old”
mattress was in excellent
condition - she just wanted
to get a firmer mattress. The
new mattress looks great on
her bed, but the old mattress
did not look good leaning
up against her hallway
wall. Thus began the quest
to donate a perfectly good
used mattress to someone
who could use it. Within
minutes we came up with a
list of about six charitable
organizations that accept
donations, and within half a
dozen phone calls we wereVets Helping Vets
at a dead end. Then someone
suggested we contact Vets
Helping Vets.
Formally known as
Veterans Helping Veterans,
this local charitable
organization was a double
surprise for me. First, I had
never heard of them. Second,
they accept mattresses. I
was kind of glad they don’t
pick up donations because it
gave me the opportunity to
check them out. It only took
a few minutes to unload the
mattress, yet I was there for
nearly two hours! I was both
intrigued and impressed
talking with Larry Bales,founder of Vets Helping
Vets.
Larry Bales has had an
interesting life of service.
He didn’t brag or go on
about himself. However, I
did ask a lot of questions.
Bales served our country in
the United States military,
which included tours of duty
in Vietnam, South Korea and
Germany. He has been on
the frontline. As I listened to
him, I heard an undercurrent
I’d heard before. He didn’t
come right out and say it, but
I heard it just the same. The
people who best understand
a veteran is another veteran.
I think that is part of the
heart of the outreach
program he founded. He
wants to help other veterans,
and he wants to keep serving- that is who he is. He won
the Enquirer George Award
in 2012. About the award,
Bales said with sincere
humility, “I didn’t desire it.
The volunteers did the work,
and the One who lead me to
do this.”
Bales invited me inside
their warehouse and gave me
a tour. I was amazed by all
I saw. Everything needed to
set up an apartment or home
was there. Bales told me Vets
Helping Vets serves Calhoun
and Kalamazoo counties. I
later learned their helping
hands sometimes extend
beyond those boundaries.
Vets has been working
with other charitable
organizations since their
inception in March 2011.
If fact, without that support
Vets would probably not be
as successful as they have
been.
I saw furniture,
household appliances,
linens, table service, and
much more. I asked Bales
what type of donations
they most need right now.
He replied, “Look around
your house. All the things
that make your home a
home are the things people
need; lamps, tables, beds
and mattresses”. Then I
asked if they only serve
veterans. No. Most of their
clients are veterans, but
not all. Since opening their
outreach, Vets has “provided
material support to over
3,100 veterans and over 800
non-veterans.” After saying
that Bales paused, then
said, “That 3,100 represents
veterans. I don’t know how
many family members
were helped along with the
veterans.”
It is the same type
of number under count
with the non-veterans. The
paperwork counts just one
person as a client, not the
whole family. That adds up
to a tremendous amount of
support.
Vets Helping Vets does
not advertise. People learn
about them the way I did, by
word of mouth. Their clients
come through referrals.
Bales estimates 60% of their
referrals come through the
Veterans Administration;
they work closely with the
VA Hospital. Another 30%
of the referrals come through
the 2-1-1 program. The
balance of their clients come
from other local agencies,
especially Haven of Rest,which has several programs
geared toward veterans.
Although Bales didn’t use
this phrase, their clients are
“vetted.” Veterans Helping
Veterans is an organization
that is serious about helping
people, but with limited
resources they want to be
certain that they are helping
people who are also trying to
help themselves.
“I tell our clients we are
giving you this help, use it
to move yourself forward,”
said Bales. “This is a one-
time shot from us.”
He is both sincere and
serious.
I kept asking questions.
Turns out Bales retired an
E-8, that means a Senior
Master Sergeant. He
definitely has leadership
skills. He also has
commitment. He is 72 years
old and after 10 years he is
still working and serving
with Vets Helping Vets.
He is a disabled veteran,
and he has had some major
surgeries, and yet he keeps
going because he loves what
he is doing. At this point I
asked again, what donations
do you most need right
now? He answered, “Beds
and volunteers.” The staff
at Vets is all voluntary, no
one gets paid, and those
volunteers are few in
number and they’re getting
older every day.
Vets do not pick up
donations, nor do they make
deliveries. What they give
to their clients they give
freely, and having their
clients pick up what they are
given is part of a programof helping people who help
themselves. Vets do not give
any financial support.
Vets Helping Vets has
a special focus on homeless
veterans. Nationally,
the estimated number of
homeless veterans in 2021
was 40,000. A staggering
number. Bales acknowledges
that not all of those veterans
can be helped, certainly not
by organizations like his.
However, Vets Helping Vets
is helping homeless veterans
locally, and we can help too.
Bales began this outreach
with a couple friends. Their
projection was they’d be
done with it in two months.
It has been a decade of
service with no end in sight.
There is another point
that was very important to
Bales: I have to mention
the Disabled American
Veterans meeting that takes
place every third Tuesday at
6:30 pm at Tile and Carpet
located at 99 East Columbia
Ave in Battle Creek.
Toward the end of
our conversation Bales
mentioned some other needs
their organization has. They
would like to find someone
who can help them write
grants, and also someone
who can help them with
accounting and reports.
If you can help in either
of these ways, or if you’d
like to volunteer or make a
donation, you can contact
Veterans Helping Veterans
by calling 269-966-5764 or
writing to Vets Helping
Vets 354 North 27th Street
Springfield, MI 49037.Larry Bales, of Vets Helping Vets, began this
outreach with a couple of friends a decade ago.
Call 269-781-