Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) – There are many places for veterans to find help and food. The problem is not many veterans know where to go or can’t access those benefits. The program Reaching Lost Souls tries to lessen that stigma. In the summer of 2022, Freide Pineda and his wife (he calls the brains of the operations) Alana Pineda created the program, because they felt many veterans and their families were not given the support they deserve.
Freide Pineda is the President and Alana Pineda is the Vice President, of Reaching Lost Souls. How the program started was giving out clothing and toiletries. Then Pineda’s opened up a food pantry for veterans, where people are given at least three days’ worth of food. The program even has a website where veterans can apply for a subscription for drop off food boxes.
“That’s the emergency food pantry theme. And we have the monthly food drop off box that we that’s the regular food pantry, which we do also. Freide Pineda said.
Veterans are coming to the program as it continues to grow. There are many veterans in the community who need services to help them to navigate life after coming back from service.
The Reaching Lost Souls program have outings every Sunday at a park to give out food, clothing, and body care supplies for any veterans in need. These events not only provide resources but give the community a chance to get to know each other.
” It’s done at that Billings park where we set up and we bring out the clothing, we bring out shoes, we bring out right hygiene and we bring out food for them also. And that is for our veterans and our community as a whole. We help everybody out on that second Sundays.” Freide Pineda said.
The community has come together to show their support for the veterans and their loved ones. The community gathers and pull resources to make a bigger impact as a whole. The importance of this program is to get everyone to work with one another to make sure veterans get the services they need.
“So the end goal is having a facility where veterans can have support groups, case workers present they can help them, being able to have a place to shower themselves up support groups for the family and their children” Alana Pineda said.
The Reaching Lost Souls program helps veterans find support at local PTSD clinics and find guidance to deal with their emotions and other problems he or she may be dealing with. The mission of the Reaching Lost Souls program is to make a difference for veterans and give their families a place to feel welcomed.
Derricka Settles, NCC News
