Oakhurst Boy Scout Collecting Donations To Help Homeless Veterans

OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ — November is National Veterans and Military Families Month and this Ocean Township teen chose to help homeless veterans for his Eagle Scout project.

Jake Smith, a Boy Scout with Troop 71 in Oakhurst, is raising funds to create donation drop-off boxes for Vetwork, which is located in Forked River.

What Smith will do specifically is build boxes out of wood and stainless steel so people can put donations for veterans inside the boxes.

He is asking for neighbors to donate money to cover the cost of materials to build the boxes. You can meet Jake and donate to his project here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/jak...

Vetwork is based in Ocean County and was formed in 1984 to address veterans’ issues such as employment, family stress, substance abuse, housing for the disabled, special needs for children of veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder counseling.

"I am fundraising to raise money for my Eagle Scout project," said Smith. "Vetwork needs donation drop-off boxes (3 or 4). These boxes will be placed on the porch of Vetwork so people can put their donations into the box and be safe from weather and animals until someone can collect the donations. The boxes will be made from treated wood and Azek material that will make the boxes last for years. The boxes will have lids with stainless steel hinges to protect the donations inside."

"I plan to make these boxes with the support of my fellow scouts and other volunteers. My goal is to raise around $2,000 to cover material costs. Any leftover money will be donated to Vetwork. I am grateful for any donation you could make for my Eagle project. Your thoughtfulness is deeply appreciated."