Donation Hours for Clothing and Household Goods

Clothing and household item donations will be accepted during the following hours:

10-1-25 Until further notice, the VABC will NOT be accepting clothing donations. 

Click Here for a List of Items Accepted

Call Us Today

508-679-9277

Visit Us

Fall River, MA

Our Hours

M/Tu. 8-4 pm | W. 10-6 pm | Th. 8-4 pm

Message Us
DONATE
508-679-9277
DONATE

Capital Campaign

VABC LOGO COLOR

Building a Healthy Veterans Community
$3 Million Capital Campaign

CASE FOR SUPPORT FOR A NEW SERVICE CENTER

The Veterans Association of Bristol County (VABC) was founded in 1987 by Vietnam veterans to fill a substantial void in human services for local veterans and active members of the United States Armed Forces.

As a small and flexible nonprofit collaborating with numerous community partners, VABC maximizes its resources and experience serving veterans. With a mission to provide meaningful and compassionate support to veterans and their families, VABC ensures a higher and healthier quality of life for Bristol County veterans. Hunger, homelessness, addiction, financial duress, and medical and mental health challenges affect a significant number of the 25,000 veterans (U.S. Census, 2023) who reside in this region. Nearly 10% of this vulnerable population are disabled and live at or below the poverty line. Most veterans in dire need of essential human and health services remain hard to reach.

Fortunately, VABC is a trusted and recognized resource. This reputation has fueled a significant reliance for services that have been delivered, for far too long, from a modest and outdated building located at 755 Pine Street — until now!

BayCoast Bank Supports VABC Capital Campaign
Help Build a Healthy Veterans Community
"Each month, the assistance with food makes an immense difference for my family. It ensures that we have enough to get through the month without worrying about going hungry. Their support means we can focus on other essential needs, knowing that there’s a meal on the table, bringing us comfort and relief during challenging times."
M.B., Veteran

SERVICES & PROGRAMS

Here are some of our Services and programs we offer:

  • VABC distributes 20,000 pounds of food per month to over 500 veterans and their families. Lunch is prepared and served daily while a monthly food pantry operates at capacity. VABC maintains a rescue food room to help relieve urgent nutritional deficits. 
  • VABC operates a clothing center to distribute essential, quality clothing and shoes. The clothing center maintains a store-like environment to ensure a dignified experience and rotates its inventory seasonally. 
  • Recognized statewide for its effectiveness, the SHEROES program honors and engages women veterans in fellowship including workshops, activities and speaking programs. 
  • Weekly programs include Peer Support Groups and Coffee Socials to promote comaraderie and friendship for veterans combatting isolation and mental health challenges.
  • Physical and mental wellness programs include painting, kayaking, hiking, biking, and stress management sessions. Rhythms of Service is a music therapy program.

VABC actively solicits recommendations from veterans to develop new services and activities that improve the quality of life of veterans.

DEMAND ON THE RISE

VABC rigorously collects, analyzes and reports service data. To facilitate this best practice, veterans sign in through a customized computer kiosk to select the services to receive on that day. Captured information is readily available for internal assessment and reporting. This system was installed in July 2023 with funding from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services.

Due to rising demand, VABC operates at capacity with consistent overcrowding within its current facilities. This has created severe operational constraints and an evident need for a larger facility to fulfill this vital mission.

Screen Shot at PM

CONDITIONS THAT MOTIVATE THE MOVE TO 145 GLOBE STREET

  • Limited parking spaces and minimal street parking creating dangerous conditions for people and vehicles.
  • No loading dock to accept large quantities of food pantry goods from the Greater Boston Food Bank and other suppliers. Volunteers are relied upon to handle goods at risk of injury.
  • Lack of appropriate storage space for food supplies prompting some supplies to be turned away.
  • An outdated and overcrowded kitchen inhibits the ability to meet demands for prepared nutritious meals. 
  • Relying solely on the handicap ramp to handle all deliveries and donations, and move shopping carts to and from veterans’ vehicles creates significant and unnecessary gridlock. 
  • No private spaces to accommodate individual counseling and peer meetings.
  • No on-site opportunity to build an addition or manage transitional and permanent housing. 

STRATEGIC GOAL

In October 2025, VABC will acquire the Tuscan Building, located at 145 Globe Street in Fall River. This 24,000 square foot building is ideally suited for VABC’s expanding programs and will be modified to house a commercial kitchen, food pantry, dining space, clothing center, community meeting rooms, and spaces for third party veterans’ services, including health and wellness providers, and VABC administrative and program offices.

To achieve this strategic goal, VABC has launched a $3 million capital campaign to fund the acquisition of 145 Globe Street, the remodel of this new Veterans’ Services Community Center, and the retirement of its mortgage to become debt-free.
vabc
Donate Today!
The Outcomes Of This Transformative Project Include:
  • Increase operational footprint by 400% with 50,000+ square feet of program space
  • Increase prepared meals and rescue food service by 100% to 1,000 units per month
  • Increase food pantry donations by 250% to 50,000 pounds per month
  • Expand the number of households serviced by 50% to 7,500 households annually
  • Expand group programming to include culinary arts training, career training, financial literacy, addiction recovery meetings, health and wellness classes, music, and more
  • Expand private services to include intake and referrals, mental health counseling and clinical services, and drop-in services with third-party health professionals
  • Expand collaborations and host events for veterans and the community at large
  • Improve the physical and mental health and quality of life of more vulnerable veterans
  • Provide new housing opportunities for homeless and vulnerable veterans
  • Assist an overburdened network of health and human service providers, food pantries and others by increasing service to more veterans
  • Relocate the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 9 William S. Green, with a membership of nearly 600 veterans, and other veterans organizations to create a community hub
View/Print The Case For Support

To complete building improvements and relocate vital veterans’ services to 145 Globe Street by the Spring 2026, VABC urgently seeks charitable contributions of any amount. Naming opportunities are available for donors who wish to make generous contributions and grants, perhaps over multiple years.

Please consider supporting this VABC project to establish a regional hub of veterans’ services and a community center for all Bristol County veterans, their families, and active members of the U.S. Armed Forces. For a tour of VABC and an overview of the urgent needs of veterans in our community, please contact:

Ken Levesque at 508-679-9277 or k.levesque@thevabc.org

or Kolby Driscoll at kolby @vantageinphilanthropy.com

Thank you.