Vet2Vet Maine has received a $40,000 grant from the Fisher House Foundation.
The funds, part of the Fisher Service Award for Military Community Service, will help Vet2Vet Maine expand our reach into the entire state, regardless of county, according to Vet2Vet Maine executive director Maggie Catanese.
Vet2Vet Maine matches veteran volunteers with other veterans who need a friend or mentor. The pairs connect on a regular basis, share stories and enjoy activities together through newly developed friendships. Trained volunteers also help the veterans apply for needed services and benefits.
Catanese said the program currently makes between 30 and 40 matches a year.
Fisher House Foundation, in partnership with the Military Times Foundation, awarded a total of $250,000 in grants to five organizations. In additon to Vet2Vet Maine, organizations receiving awards were were Dreams for Veterans, The Heal Program, Farm Military Agricultural Program and Beyond the Streets.
The five organizations were chosen from more than 460 applicants.
The judges for the awards included the spouses of many senior military leaders, trustees from the Fisher House Foundation and Kelly Facer from Military Times.
Since the annual award program began in 1999, it has distributed around $3 million across roughly 200 nonprofit programs. Last year, award recipients included a program that connects volunteer pilots with injured and disabled veterans and their caregivers.