Operation Stand Down Rhode Island’s (OSDRI) Veterans Complex at 1010 Hartford Ave. in Johnston may have never looked so good.
On a recent morning, under sparkling sunshine, dozens of volunteers painted sheds, cleaned lawns and the surrounding areas, cut down and cleared brush, and performed many other tasks that put smiles on the faces of veterans and OSDRI Executive Director Erik Wallin.
While volunteers did the day’s work, it was made possible by a generous $20,000 donation from Home Depot.
The donation, officials explained, came in form of supplies that helped OSDRI clean up and beautify its expanding Veterans Complex, which not only houses 17 veterans and their families but it is also home of the award-winning OSDRI headquarters and newly-constructed Veterans Service Center.
Volunteers from the local Home Depot store, along with many OSDRI volunteers and additional volunteers from the Met School in Newport, built a flagpole reception area in addition to painting donated sheds.
The volunteers also built a patio and outdoor seating for veterans, built fences for a children’s play area, planted shrubbery, laid mulch, and completed other projects to beautify the entire OSDRI property.
OSDRI is an independent, non-profit organization, and serves as the state’s primary resource for homeless and at-risk veterans. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Johnston, its mission is to help homeless and at-risk veterans secure stable housing.
OSDRI offers a wide range of life-changing services, including supportive permanent and transitional housing, intensive case management, basic human needs, food and clothing assistance, and employment training and placement programs.
OSDRI works hand-in-hand with almost every major state and federal agency, as well as community organizations and employers, to provide seamless referrals to outside sources of assistance.
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