Volunteers help to honor veterans

LEEDS, Mass. (WWLP) - Wednesday is National Salute to Veterans Day.

It's a chance for the community to stop by the VA campus and show some love to the veterans. Dozens of veterans and volunteers met at the VA Medical Center on Wednesday for a day filled with games and music.

Volunteer Services Manager Anne Murray told 22News the event honors veterans. It also helps them recruit volunteers and encourage people to visit hospitalized veterans. Volunteers say it's rewarding to help those veterans who are confined to medical wards.

“It gives them something to get off the wards,” said VA volunteer and Navy veteran John Gannon. “It makes the day meaningful for them, it makes the day meaningful for us as veterans.”

Anne Murray said, “We have volunteers that come in and just visit with the veterans. We have volunteers that help with special events like this. We actually have some people who might not even see the veterans during their visit and are doing administrative work.”

There are 487 registered volunteers in the VA of Central and Western Massachusetts. To find out how you can volunteer your time, click here .