PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Bringing around a bit of holiday joy is the reason the Adopt a Veteran Program at Bay Pines VA Hospital got started. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Adopt a Veteran program began eight years ago

  • This year, 45 families received gifts, with more than 100 children between the families

  • Around 200 Bay Pine VA Hospital employees donated to the program to purchase the gifts

Volunteers and employees go out and buy gifts for veteran families going through challenging times. 

Shopping for a 14-year-old girl, Dottie Sullivan is one of the people who picked out gifts. 

“I don’t want to see any child go without anything. That’s the reason I go out and buy stuff,” she said.

Co-organizer Jazmyne Torres said Sullivan is just one of the volunteers shopping for 45 families and more than 100 kids in the program. 

From shoes to clothes to makeup, every item is chosen with care.

“Our veterans, they’ve given so much, and just being able to take something off their shoulder, that’s what this is all about,” Torres said. 

This is the eighth year of the Adopt a Veteran program.

The gifts bought for the families were distributed on Dec. 14.