Military service personnel make a personal sacrifice and put the country before their own needs and those of their families. Serving in the military carries inherent risks to safety, but many individuals still heed the call to service.

 Supporting Those Who Served: Top Military and Veteran Charities

Serving the nation is seldom an easy task, and acting military personnel and veterans sometimes need assistance. Many charities work to provide that support, and these organizations are well worth supporting.

Wounded Warrior Project®

This organization was founded in 2003 by a group of veterans and friends in Roanoke, Virginia, who wanted to take action to help injured servicemen and servicewomen. The mission of WWP is to honor and empower service personnel who incurred physical or mental injuries, illnesses, or wounds related to military service on or after September 11, 2001. According to the organization, 100 percent of a person's donation supports wounded warriors, with roughly 71 percent spentnce used to deliver this support. es for veterans. HFOT builds homes where veterans choose to live and maintains an ongoing relationship with them after home delivery to assist in rebuilding their lives.

Gary Sinise Foundation

Many people recognize Gary Sinise as a prominent, award-winning actor known predominantly for his roles as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump and Detective Mac Taylor on CSI: NY. After the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, Sinise began devoting much of his time to supporting those deployed in response to the tragedy. He ultimately founded his organization to express gratitude and offer support to the men and women who fight to keep the nation safe and free.

K9s For Warriors

According to the K9s for Warriors organization, an average of 20 veterans die by suicide each day, while roughly 1,000 dogs are euthanized. To help change these stark statistics, K9s for Warriors was established to rescue and train shelter dogs as service animals, pairing them with struggling veterans who benefit from a service companion. A study by Flagler College found that 92 percent of the nonprofit's veteran graduates reported a reduction in medication usage, and 82 percent reported reduced suicidal ideation after being paired with a dog.

Vets Canada

Vets Canada is a grassroots movement founded by veteran Jim Lowther in 2010. Realizing that veterans were slipping through the cracks and living in high-risk situations, Lowther formed a small team in Halifax alongside his wife, Debbie, to assist homeless and at-risk veterans with the goal of reintegrating them into civilian life. This effort evolved into Vets Canada, which has helped over 4,500 veterans to date.

Supporting military and veteran charities is a meaningful way to express appreciation for the individuals who have served and sacrificed for their country.