September 30, 2012
VFP members of the San Diego Chapter #91 and San Diego City College Chapter #500 were present at the Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert, bringing awareness and support for the San Diego VFP Compassion Campaign for Homeless Veterans. The San Diego Veterans For Peace “Compassion Campaign,” an outreach effort to give a sleeping bag set to each of the 9000+ homeless in San Diego, began in December 2010 and continues indefinitely. The outreach effort began after active veterans in the San Diego Veterans For Peace chapter became alarmed at the life-threatening living conditions homeless veterans and others endure on the streets and under the interstate overpasses in downtown San Diego.
The cost to the chapter of sleeping bags sets, originally $35 wholesale, was lowered to $27 per set in mid-2011 after chapter members were able to buy all products directly from the Coleman Company in Colorado, instead of locally from several vendors in San Diego and Los Angeles. The Compassion Campaign has provided over 1,000 sleeping bags and winter gear to the San Diego homeless community, to both veterans and non-veterans who need assistance. VFP veterans of all five services and supporting associate members continue to provide this extremely important outreach to the homeless population each week, and hope to expand the scope of the effort as donations allow.