The Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation, commonly referred to as the Purple Heart Foundation, is "the fundraising engine of the Military Order of the Purple Heart." The group raises money that is used to assist "veterans facing exceptionally difficult financial challenges" and to provide financial support to other organizations committed to enhancing quality of life for veterans and their loved ones.
Foundation for Veterans' Assistance
Since its beginning in 1957, the Purple Heart Foundation, which is chartered by the United States Congress, has been committed to helping make life better for veterans and their families. They accomplish this through a combination of outreach programs and financial grants. Donations to this organization help to support their important efforts to assist former service members once they are no longer on active duty.
Types of Assistance
They provide both direct and indirect assistance to veterans. Assistance is not limited to those who have received a Purple Heart award. The organization's programs are available to all former service members.
- Direct: The organization provides limited financial assistance directly to veterans who find themselves in situations of extreme financial hardship.
- Indirect: The organization provides financial support to other groups that offer programs consistent with the mission of helping to improve quality of life for veterans and their loved ones.
Examples of Programs
Money raised by the foundation are used to fund a variety of programs, including:
- Research into and assistance for the "unseen wounds" that negatively impact veterans far too often, such as suicide, traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), and more
- Advocacy efforts to help facilitate legislative action and policies to benefit veterans.
- Assistance filing Veterans Administration (VA) claims
- Programs that help inform veterans of their rights to various types of assistance, including healthcare, compensation for disabilities, financial assistance for educational opportunities, and more
- Help getting needed service dogs
- Legal assistance for veterans
How to Help
The Purple Heart Foundation relies on donations to make its work possible. Since the group is a nonprofit organization, donations are tax deductible.
Monetary Donations
You can donate money directly to the organization via their website. Simply click the 'Donate Now' button to be taken to the direct donation page. From there, you can set the amount you want to give and specify if it is a one-time donation or a recurring donation. If you want to make a recurring donation, you will be able to choose among a variety of timeframes, including weekly, monthly, bi-weekly, quarterly, every six months, or annually. If you opt for a monthly donation, you will need to specify if you want your payment to be made on the first, tenth, fifth, or 20th of the month.
Clothing and Household Goods
The organization also accepts donations of clothing and household goods, which are sold in order to raise money to support its programs for veterans. They accept a wide variety of items, including apparel, footwear, housewares, some electronics, outdoor gear, sports gear, games, books, furniture pieces weighing less than 50 pounds, and more. See their list of unacceptable items to find out what they cannot take.
The organization uses GreenDrop Charitable Donations to coordinate the donation process. Go to the Purple Heart Donation Center on the GreenDrop website or call 888-944-3767 for details. You can search online for a location near you, or use the online form to schedule a pick-up.
Vehicle Donations
The organization also accepts automobile donations, assuming that the vehicle has a clear title with no liens. Donated vehicles are sold, with the money going to fund program support. If you'd like to make this kind of donation, complete the online form at PurpleHeartCars.org or call 888-414-4483. Once your donation is accepted, the organization will arrange for the vehicle to be picked up and provide you with the documentation you need to verify your generous gift for tax deduction purposes.
Supporting a Good Cause
Making a donation to the Purple Heart Foundation is a good way to provide support to an organization dedicated to providing assistance to veterans. When you're considering different options for donations, this group is a good option to consider.
