South Puget Sound, Wash.
A pilot partnership is distributing Care to Connect Kits to connect service members at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and local veterans to available health care, education, social services, transportation and other services. The program is a partnership between the city of Lakewood and the South Sound Military Communities Partnership.
The Care to Connect Kit program distributed nearly 200 kits in the past year, all with personal connections. The Connect Kits contain key items like phone numbers and website addresses to empower recipients to reach locally available assistance, ideally within walking distance. Other kit contents include small amounts of food and water, phone cards, a travel blanket and items to de-stress.
The staff distributing the kits are trained by Mental Health First Aid or a similar program, with additional training specifically on Connect Kits.
Any organization can use the Connect Kit sample to customize a kit for service members and veterans in their communities.
