A Special Package from VNSNY Hospice Sends a Message of Caring to U.S. Veterans for Memorial Day

Observed on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day  commemorates the men and women who died while serving our country. May is also National Military Appreciation Month, a time set aside by Congress to honor the important role the U.S. Armed Forces have played in the history of our country. “One way to honor the memory of fallen heroes who have served our country is to support those veterans and military families walking among us today, and help them live well and be all that they can be, each and every day,” notes Joe Vitti, Supervisor of the VNSNY Hospice Veterans Program.

A U.S. Army veteran himself, Joe and his colleagues, VNSNY Hospice Veterans Liaisons Erica Wigley and Sung Yoon, know firsthand how challenging this Memorial Day is for many of the servicemen and servicewomen they engage with in their community outreach activities. With social distancing mandates in place, many veterans find themselves more isolated than usual—a difficult situation, especially for those veterans who struggle with long-lasting physical and emotional battle wounds.

With this in mind, Joe and his team have been reaching out to community partners like Sunrise Senior Living in Staten Island to present special care packages during the month of May. It is just one example of how the VNSNY Hospice Veterans Program goes above and beyond for the veterans in their care, and illustrates why the program has been awarded the highest-possible Level 5 We Honor Veterans status by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the Veterans Administration.

Many residents at Sunrise in Staten Island are veterans, and the VNSNY Hospice Veterans team has gotten to know a number of these vets well as VNSNY Hospice patients. Understanding how challenging it can be to feel connected and a part of the community during COVID-19 quarantine and social distancing, Joe teamed up with April Cruz, one of the senior staff members at Sunrise, to provide the care packages as a way of showing the veterans there that they are appreciated and not forgotten.

The care packages were assembled by Joe and two very special helpers—his children, Rosie and Joseph—and delivered to the senior living facility, where they were presented to individual veterans. Each package contained a recognition certificate, a challenge coin, flag and service pins, and a beautiful red, white and blue blanket that was hand-crocheted by volunteers as part of VNSNY’s We Honor Veterans program.

On a day-to-day basis, Joe, Erica and Sung overcome COVID-19 visiting restrictions by using telehealth to stay in regular touch with the veterans at Sunrise that they care for through the auspices of the VNSNY Hospice Veterans program. “It’s so important to stay connected and to let our vets know that they are front and center in our thoughts—and our hearts,” says Joe. “The sacrifices they’ve made for us are real, and they live with that every day. We want to honor them and make sure they know that we will never forget.”

WNBC News 4 featured the VNSNY Hospice Veterans Program on a news segment that aired on Memorial Day, May 25th.  To view the news segment, click here.

To read more VNSNY Heroes of 2020 stories, please click here.