Veterans Give Back to Kansas City

May 07, 2025

This May, more than 1,600 service projects are taking place for the Veterans of Foreign Wars 2025 Day of Service. The initiative unites veterans and communities in meaningful action, proving that for veterans, the spirit of service continues long after the uniform is retired. Projects will provide needed food, home repairs, park and city cleanups, blood drives to shore up our country’s critically low supply, and much more. This will be our fourth annual Day of Service held during the month of May — but veterans everywhere, every day, are quietly reshaping our communities, providing critical leadership and solutions where and when they’re needed most.

The VFW Day of Service began as an offshoot of our original initiative to highlight veterans’ continued service, the #StillServing campaign, which began in 2020. Veterans are simply more likely to give back. It’s in our DNA. The desire to serve doesn’t end when the uniform comes off; we direct it to our new mission — bettering our communities. And there’s data to back it up.

The Veterans Civic Health Index survey found that veterans are more likely than civilians to volunteer in their communities, donate to charities, register to vote and get involved in their communities and local government at a greater rate than their civilian counterparts.

In its first year, the VFW hosted 400 Day of Service events. This year as of this writing, we have over 1,600 events confirmed around the world. Just here in the Kansas City area, several high-impact projects are taking place throughout May, including:

• Lenexa VFW Post 7397 has been collecting food to benefit Harvesters and will volunteer onsite at its warehouse sorting, packing and supporting essential food distribution operations.
• Lee’s Summit VFW Post 5789 is partnering with Lee’s Summit to clear weeds and overgrowth along Missouri Department of Transportation rights-of-way. This effort will enhance driver visibility and beautify public spaces, contributing to a safer and more welcoming environment for residents and visitors.
• Leavenworth VFW Post 56 will assist a local veteran supportive housing facility in Leavenworth. Volunteers will clean up the property and refresh the garden with new planting to provide a peaceful and healing space for residents.

This May, we’d like to invite everyone to follow the lead of our veterans. Let’s celebrate their achievements but also follow their lead. Whether it’s on your own or with a VFW Day of Service project, get out and volunteer. You won’t regret it. To join a VFW project or see how veterans are changing the world for the better, visit VFWDayofService.org

This op-ed article was written by Dan West, and originally appeared in the Kansas City Star here.