Growing Long Island Charity In Need Of Storage Space For Items Donated To Homeless Vets

MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Veterans Day is Friday, and while we celebrate their service that day, there are many who work all year round to help our vets.

As CBS2's Cindy Hsu reported, there are some very special people in Nassau County who have made that their mission.

Kenneth Cadieux's garage is filled with donations for needy veterans, from bags full of necessities like socks and toiletries, to walkers and wheelchairs.

You'll find more donations all over the Army veteran's house, and it all started when Betty Harms asked for help on Facebook. She went to the group Massapequa Mommas and posted a long message asking for donations for veterans, many of them homeless.

"I just got such an overwhelming response. It's been about a year now, and I probably, and I would say over 6,000 items have gotten donated," she said.

So many are coming, they store them at Cadieux's house until the local Stand Down, which is an event that's held twice a year. It's a day where vets can get a hot meal, help with services, and take any of the donated items they need.

"They can go around and take whatever they want, no charge," Harms said.

Betty's husband William is a Vietnam vet who served in the Air Force. He said right now there's a need for winter coats, boots, and even business suits.

"Some of them are looking for jobs, they don't have a suit to wear, they don't have a clean shirt or a tie," he explained.

Cadieux is a Korean War vet and served in the Army. He said his mother used to carry a picture of him at all times.

"She carried it until 1998, when she dies, and then I got it back," Cadieux said.

The old friends are amazed by the generosity of strangers, but it's gotten a bit overwhelming.

"There are so many donations," Harms said.

She said what they really need is a place to store everything, maybe a warehouse or small building.

"It's sad because you could see someone laying on a bench or in a doorway, you think -- what are they doing there? And so many of them are veterans and in this country it should not be," she said.

They plan to keep fighting for the veterans who fought for us. The next Stand Down will be held at the Freeport Armory on November 22nd.