More than 7,000 U.S. military members have died fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, a 20-year stretch of time that has included the longest wars in our nation’s history — so long, in fact, that for many Americans the conflicts have faded from memory.

That’s not surprising, really: In America today, only around six percent of adults have served in the military — a drop of more than half from 1980 — and less than .5 percent of the American population are active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces. That means the chances are high that you can go through most days never encountering anyone who has volunteered to be troops on the ground wherever the United States has a military presence.

As a group, veterans have an outsized impact on all of our lives. According to the 2021 Veterans Civic Health Index, from the National Conference on Citizenship and others, vets are more likely to volunteer, vote, give to charity, trust their neighbors, and work to fix problems in their communities. They also are more likely to work than non-vets.

Philly is home to almost 55,000 vets, among the nearly 800,000 throughout the state. Let today be a day we think about how we can honor their service by giving back to them, especially those who have had trouble adjusting to life outside the military. It seems the least we can do.

Below, how to get started on your mission to help veterans in the U.S.

1. Support the Veterans Multi-Services Center

The city’s biggest hub for veteran services, the VMSC offers vets and their families help with accessing benefits, housing, jobs and meals. It is the first stop for many vets in need — and a good place to start for anyone looking to donate their time or resources. You can volunteer, organize a fundraising event for the organization, or join them for a vets and friends event around town to help support their efforts.

2. Know and share resources for vets in crisis

Healthy Minds Philly has a resource hub for active duty and veterans who are in need of mental health care, addiction recovery services, or need to safely report an assault. They also provide contact information for housing, employment, financial, and benefits assistance.

3. Help homeless vets

In 2015, Philly became one of 15 cities around the country to reach “functional zero” in the number of vets who were living on the street, meaning every veteran who wanted a home had one in the city. That doesn’t mean there are not still vets in need of housing, or at risk of becoming homeless. The most recent estimate, from 2021, veterans comprise 3 percent of all people experiencing homelessness. If you know or see anyone who is a homeless vet, the VMSC’s hotline can help at (888) 385-1250. Philadelphia’s VA Hospital has resources to help combat homelessness among veterans. And send donations to local nonprofit Support Homeless Vets, Inc., which runs on community support.

The Veterans Group in West Philadelphia is a home for veterans that also offers counseling, employment assistance, and education help for its residents to assist in the transition to civilian life.

4. Donate to other veterans groups

Including Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Or look to organizations, like 40-year-old Impact Services in Kensington, which among other things, provides housing and employment services for veterans.

5. Shop

The VMC Thrift Store in Mayfair (formerly Rhino Camouflage Thrift) serves many needs: It collects and distributes donations of used furnishings and clothes to veterans, provides jobs and job training to vets, and helps raise money for the Veterans Multi-Services Center. You can shop there, donate items — including cars — and hire them to help with small moves.

6. Support female vets

The Women Veterans Center, run out of the Multi-Services Center, launched in 2014 to address a relatively new phenomenon: Women are the fastest-growing population of veterans, and their needs are often very different than men. Now, the organization serves several hundred women and their families, with employment and other services, as well as opportunities to just be in a safe space together for monthly dinners, yoga, mindfulness and the like. You can donate to them, or order from their Amazon wishlist for snacks, personal hygiene and household items.

7. Support transgender vets

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) estimates that there are over 134,000 American transgender veterans, and that more than 15,000 transgender people are serving in the military today. Conditions have improved for these service members, but major barriers still exist — both socially and within governmental agencies. To help, you could donate to organizations that are working to create more equity for transgender members of the military, such as the NCTE, and the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA). If donating isn’t your thing, TAVA offers some cool merchandise, like tees and tank tops with the TAVA logo.

8. Hire a vet

The Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network has three goals: Help vets find work; run a Veterans Entrepreneurship Program; and educate employers on the benefits of hiring vets. Among those benefits: Federal tax credits. They also offer best practices guides and other resources for companies looking to find qualified veterans. And they hold an annual “Veteran Shark Tank,” presented by Comcast NBCUniversal, featuring local “vetrepreneurs” competing for a $50,000 cash prize — scheduled this year for Monday, December 5.

Philly’s chapter of the Society for Human Resources also offers guides for employees on how and why to bring vets into their company.

9. Send care packages to active-duty troops

At Philly’s Hero Care Packages, CEO Jack Wray, a former Naval officer, says he remembers the joy of getting a care package from home — and the disappointment on sailors’ faces when they got nothing they wanted. Now, his Philly-based company makes it easy to send gift boxes to soldiers and sailors around the world. On Wray’s site, you can either choose items to mail, donate towards a $59.99 pre-set gift box, or sign up for a subscription to send a box every month.

10. Be informed

There are more than 1 million active-duty soldiers in our Armed Forces today — even if their activities tend to fall below most of our radars. Follow Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), an advocacy organization for post-9/11 vets, for the latest on what’s happening in Congress.

11. Volunteer to help vets

The Veterans Administration (VA) needs volunteers for everything from transporting and helping patients with medical appointments, to helping with admin support for the city’s busy veterans hospital in University City.

12. Volunteer alongside vets

The Mission Continues is clear in its mission: Give vets the opportunity to continue serving their communities, even after their tours are done. In Philly, the group devoted time and resources to renovating sports fields and courts at Kensington’s Thomas Alva Edison High School (which lost more students in Vietnam than any other school in the country), as well as on other service projects in the area. Connect with the Philadelphia Platoon here.

13. Vote

We end nearly all of our lists with this. Just vote. It really is the least you can do.

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