Dear Editor:I'm a veteran who lives in Downey. I was at Furman Park for the last two summer concerts and thought the park would be an ideal site for a veterans' stand-down. Stand-downs are one part of the Department of Veterans Affairs' efforts to provide services to homeless veterans. They are typically one- to- three-day events providing services to homeless veterans such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, VA and social security benefits counseling, and referrals to a variety of other necessary services. Stand-downs are collaborative events, coordinated between local VAs, other government agencies and community agencies who serve the homeless. Any veterans desiring a stand-down here in the Downey area should e-mail such a desire to acting recreation manager Sonya Meacham at smeacham@downeyca.org. -- Tony Tinajero, Downey

********** Published: September 2, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 20