The annual Operation Homeless Veterans event is February 13 and 14 at the Legion Post 294, at 231 Goodwin Avenue in Hartland.

Squadron 294 Commander Mark Pape told WTKM about how it started seven years ago. 

“We started this in 2020. We were looking for a new fundraiser for the Sons organization to work on. We decided to have a sleep out to bring awareness to the homeless veteran problem we have in this country." 

Members suggested sleeping out in June, but organizers believed a sleep out in February would attract some attention and “real awareness,” Pape said.

"If we held it in the summer, we think it would take away from what these people really go through,” according to Pape. “So we decided to sleep out in small tents and cardboard boxes in our parking lot at the post, no matter what the weather was like.”

The goal for the first sleep out in 2020 was $5,000, with fraternal financial services organization Modern Woodmen promising to match the first $2,500 raised by Squadron 294. The first annual event raised $20,000.

"We weren't sure exactly what we did, but we did something right with the first one and it was something we continued to build on,” Pape exclaimed.

All of the donations are kept in southeast Wisconsin, and donated to the Milwaukee Homeless Veteran Initiative and Women Veterans Independent Network.

They have raised $380,000 since 2020.

They will be accepting cash donations as well as non-perishable food items and clothing.

It will be open to the public to visit and donate at the Legion Post 294 in Hartland.  

Photo by the Legion Post 294.