New leadership for Veteran's Relief Fund
LOREN BENOIT/Press Brittany Kendall, 28, and her fiancé Tristan Nielsen, 30 — an Army veteran who earned a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Iraq — have taken over as the directors of the Veteran’s Relief Fund and Vet Center Thrift, located at 7736 N. Government Way in Dalton Gardens.
Mitch Jan, who recently moved to Cocallala from Hawaii, browses through Vet Center Thrift on his way to town Friday, July 20, 2018. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
A young Coeur d'Alene couple has taken over leadership of the Veteran's Relief Fund and Vet Center Thrift.
"We have the motivation behind us. We didn't want to see what was already happening go to waste," said Brittany Kendall, 28, who assumed the role of director July 5. "We’re pushing forward."
Kendall and her fiancé, co-director Tristan Nielsen, 30, were offered the opportunity when their friends and Veteran's Relief Fund founders Linda and David Jacquot resigned because of health reasons and to move closer to family.
"We have the utmost confidence that Brittany will continue to support and improve on the VRF's support of local veterans. It is time for new, younger blood with fresher ideas and skills... And Brittany is just the person for the job," Linda posted on the Vet Center and G.I. Java Facebook page. "It is with great love and the best of wishes that we turn the VRF and the thrift over to Brittany, and it is our hope that our veterans, friends, volunteers and supporters will continue to support the cause of aiding our veterans."
"She knew we had a passion for this and we wanted to continue to see the charity grow,” Kendall said. Like everyone else who contributes to the cause, Kendall and Nielsen are not paid.
The nonprofit, volunteer-run VRF was established in 2014 to provide aid to veterans through grants and interest-free loans to support them and their families. G.I. Java, which is now closed, offered a place for veterans to receive help for post-traumatic stress disorder as they warmed up with a cup of coffee and interacted with other vets.
The coffee house helped support the VRF, but Kendall said due to building issues, "they decided they wanted to switch things up and start a thrift store." Vet Center Thrift opened in April at 7736 N. Government Way in Dalton Gardens.
“They came to us because they knew we’d have a heart for it. I’m a combat vet myself,” said Nielsen, a six-year Army veteran who received a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in Iraq.
Kendall is pursuing a bachelor's degree in business and marketing from North Idaho College. She began volunteering with VRF and G.I. Java a few days a week last year and is proud to carry on the work.
"My other half, he’s a veteran, and I’ve seen what this community has for veterans, so I’ve seen the lack in services and feel like I’d be able to help,” she said. “I have a passion for people. I want to help, I want to do good things. It was an opportunity and I felt like I needed to take it."
Kendall said they have restructured the nonprofit to help a broader scope of vets.
"Where they were focusing more on homeless veterans, we are now changing that to bridging the gap in veteran services," she said. "We know there are programs out there in the community that help significantly, but there’s a lot of things that aren’t covered.”
"It’s more or less the real life issues,” Tristan added. “A gentleman we helped out last week needed a bicycle, so we got him some wheels on rims."
VRF's mission is to serve as a resource for veterans to connect them to services and assistance they need. Whether a vet needs a coat for winter, an oil change or a railing repaired, Kendall and Nielsen want to help.
"Come here and we’ll help you get to that next step, whatever it is,” Kendall said.
VRF will make local appearances, including at the North Idaho State Fair, and will have a physical meeting location in addition to the thrift store in the near future.
“Where we see ourselves in five years is I want to be able to open a new location for the store itself, have a bigger area for merchandise for the public. We’d love to have a more established home office for Veteran’s Relief Fund,” Kendall said. “We would love to see the ability to staff people and hire on people, but at this time we rely heavily on donations and incoming funds. It will take a little while to grow."
Vet Center Thrift is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is in need of volunteers and donations of kids’ clothing, bedroom furniture (including dressers) and kids’ toys.
The motto is "Vets are our center."
Info: www.vetrelieffund.com