Programs and Services

As part of our streamlined effort to have an immediate, direct and meaningful impact on the quality of life for our ill, injured and wounded veterans and their families, USASOA has established several successful programs and services which are relevant to the ongoing and ever changing needs of our wounded and the veteran community.

The overriding dynamic of USASOA is the care of all veterans. In maintaining a direct relationship with our overarching core mission, the following programs and services that we provide  ensure the essential health benefits for veterans and their families. Raising awareness for the many, multi-faceted needs of our wounded and their families, as well as our entire veteran community, requires strategic alliances and organizational competence  as well as a firm commitment to ensuring that our mission will always

The USASOA Wounded Defenders of Freedom Fund - Providing For The Essential Needs Of Our Ill, Injured And Wounded Veterans And Their Families.

When we are contacted for assistance by a wounded veteran or family member, we immediately assess their most urgent need for food, shelter, heat, utilities, or other basic goods or services.  Within hours of being contacted, we provide the essentials needed to ensure the physical safety and well-being of the veteran and/or family.  Through the use of electronic grocery store cards we provide food and basic staples. When the veteran is located in a rural area or has transportation difficulties in reaching a store, we provide that veteran with a code to access the USASOA Amazon Store so that they may place an order for the items they need. From warm socks and blankets to baby diapers and food items - the items they need are then delivered to their front door often the very next day.  USASOA also works directly with electric power companies to stop impending turn off notices or to restore power. We also work closely with propane and heating oil companies who are often all too eager to do their part when contacted for assistance and support.  In that same light, we coordinate with landlords, rental agents and banks to help terminate evictions and foreclosures by bringing past debts current but in also working to ensure that the issues that lead to the situation in the first place has a remedy. 

ALL donations to the USASOA Wounded Defenders of Freedom Fund are restricted and will be use for this program's purpose, only.

USASOA Amazon Store

As part of our streamlined effort to have an immediate, direct and meaningful impact on the quality of life for our ill, injured and wounded veterans and their families, USASOA has established on online Amazon Store which is kept up to date and filled with some of the most essential and vital items that any individual or family requires to live a healthy,  safe and happy life. When we are contacted for assistance by a wounded veteran who is located in a rural area or has transportation difficulties in reaching a store, we provide that veteran with a code to access the USASOA Amazon Store so that they may place an order for the items they need. From warm socks and blankets to baby diapers and food items - the items they need are then delivered to their front door often the very next day.  USASOA also has other methods through which items and services are delivered to our wounded in need. 

USASOA BBQ FOR OUR HEROES at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Over the past 4 years, USASOA has been providing a Saturday afternoon of great American food, leisure, music and fellowship for our recovering wounded service members that are currently residing at Walter Reed Military Medical Hospital.  The physical and mental injuries sustained by our wounded will often last them a lifetime. The USASOA outdoor BBQ FOR OUR HEROES program has evolved into an amazing morale boosting event for our ill, injured and wounded who are able to come outside into the warm spring and summer sunlight and be surrounded by loving and caring TEAM USASOA Volunteers who produce a traditional, American BBQ with all the fixin's.  USASOA holds one BBQ a month beginning in May and wrapping up in late October with our famous Chili-Fest.  We hope to expand this program into other military and veteran medical facilities around the nation. 

We are looking to expand this terrific program to other military hospitals and clinics around the nation - click the button below to donate to this program or to volunteer and hold a BBQ FOR OUR HEROES in your city or town.

USASOA - REBOOT

REBOOT is a peer to peer support group for all military and veterans with a core objective to enable and to promote a spirit of friendship and unity in a group setting.  Building fellowship and trust through various  supportive, therapeutic,  and recreational activities helps to remove barriers especially for those who would otherwise be too inhibited to do so. Many of the planned activities include:  Fishing, Outdoor BBQ Events, Learning How To Landscape, Garden and Raise Vegetables,  Hiking and Walks,  Day Trips, Visiting Military Retirement Homes and Other Social Events that foster a renewed sense of belonging and trust which is of paramount importance to being able to express the personal experiences encountered as a service member or as a veteran. 

USASOA AMBASSADOR'S LEAGUE PROGRAM:

 Our organization's programs are designed to actively engage our ill, injured, and wounded service members and veterans on a one on one basis. As a result of that close connection, we have developed the Ambassador's League Program to directly assist our wounded service members and veterans while they are in our care by making visits to our local military hospitals. Once a month we hold an orientation and training session in our office for new volunteers who wish to join this program. The class is taught by professional healthcare providers who offer their services to our volunteers free of charge. If you are interested in becoming a USASOA Ambassador, please go to Volunteers Page now and fill out the form. Also, look on our Event Page for the next Ambassador's Training Session. This incredible program allows every day, appreciative Americans who have always desired to have a direct impact on the quality of life for our heroes to do just that. Sign up now, volunteer or take on a larger role within our organization.  It doesn't matter in what part of the country that you live, We are also searching for other grateful Americans to join our mission of mercy.                                                                       

USASOA Veteran Advocacy Program

USASOA is proud to continue our successful work on promoting policy and legislation that provides for the overall mental and physical health and well-being our ill, injured, and wounded veterans as well as for the veteran community at large.  We firmly believe that our veterans are our greatest national treasures and we work to ensure that they are treated as such.  If you have a background in veteran  advocacy or would like to be a part of our organization that works to resolve the issues  facing our veteran community, please Contact Us 

Storm The Streets - USASOA Outreach Program Helping Our Homeless Veterans

Since 2013, USASOA has had as our core mission to directly impact the quality of life for our ill, injured, and wounded veterans, their families and caregivers. To the end, our nonprofit organization continually strategizes to remain relevant to the changing needs of our veteran community at large. Thousands of veterans exist in pain and hopelessness on the very streets of a great and wealthy nation that they once swore to defend with their lives, if needed. While accomplishments have and continue to be made by the VA and other wonderful and committed organizations, it takes a multifaceted approach combining both awareness and prevention programs and campaigns to effectively respond to the challenges and issues facing homeless veterans.

As a veteran service organization dedicated to ensuring that all veterans are treated as our greatest national treasures, our outreach program, #StormTheStreets directly engages veterans living on the streets of our nation bringing them a warm meal, blankets, and above all our volunteers offer them the hope of living a healthy, safe, and dignified life - one that they truly deserve.   Combat and service related wounds are both visible and invisible. The relationship between veteran homelessness and the scars of war and service are quite unique and diverse. USASOA will never make a judgement about the incidents which may have caused a veteran to become homeless but rather, we will offer the strategy, support and direct assistance needed to secure for them the physical and mental care they need. Many of the veterans we encounter have been given 'bad paper' discharges related to incidents related to PTS and even sexual trauma. The number of female veterans enduring homelessness is now reaching a higher percentage rate than any other group in the overall homeless population in America. USASOA is rolling up our sleeves and going into the streets to locate our veterans and bring the hope and care that they need and deserve. Every week the USASOA passenger van will make visits to various parks and areas in the DC Metro area known to be frequented by our homeless citizens.  Armed with warm meals, bottles of water, soup, blankets and other helpful toiletries, our volunteers will seek out our homeless veterans and being them the sustenance they need and immediately ask to assess their condition. We offer them a ride to a local homeless shelter or to a local VA facility.  When dealing with human nature, our passion to provide a better life for our marginalized and forgotten veterans is not enough to accomplish our stated goal and mission - rather, we hope to encourage and motivate other organizations and citizens to come join us in our effort of direct engagement. There are many reasons, issues and challenges linked to veteran homelessness. It has been said that the true character of a nation is seen in how it treats its veterans. Honor our veterans by taking action – join us today and show them the same commitment to improving the quality of their lives as they gave to us in defending ours.  They served us with their self-less sacrifices, in return can we do any less and truly call ourselves grateful Americans?