Victory Center’s Veteran Care Package Initiative To Reach More Than 100 Area Veterans

03/02/2026

By Brett Buckner 

More than 100 veterans in nursing and assisted living facilities across a 15-county region will soon receive a reminder that their service — and their sacrifice — have not been forgotten.  

The team at Jacksonville State University’s Victory Center (VC) wants to ensure that the sacrifices made by the military veterans and their families are never forgotten.  

The Veteran Care Package initiative does just that by meeting some of the basic needs of veterans in nursing and assisted living facilities across its 15-county region.    

“The goal is simple but meaningful - to provide comfort, appreciation, and connection,” Christine Franklin, Victory Workforce Development Services Specialist. “Many of the veterans we serve may not receive frequent visitors, so we want them to feel seen, valued, and remembered by the community they once served.  

Center staff and community volunteers have already assembled 100 boxes. Each package includes hygiene items, comfort supplies, snacks, and small essentials such as word puzzles that can make their “daily lives a little easier,” Franklin said. They also include a message of gratitude to thank veterans for their service.  

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“These packages mean more than what’s inside the bag,” she said. “They represent connection. They represent gratitude. For many veterans in nursing homes, knowing that their community took the time to assemble something specifically for them can truly lift their spirits.”  

Whether it’s donating items, giving financially or volunteering time to assemble the packages, without community support, the Care Package initiative wouldn’t be as successful.  

“Community involvement is everything,” Franklin said. “As a veteran and as someone who helps run a veteran-focused organization, I can say firsthand that programs like this only succeed because people care enough to get involved.”