What began as a short-term project to collect business suits and attire for veterans morphed into one of the leading resources for military families in Bucks County under the direction of retired U.S. Marine Rodney Wyatt.
During his seven years as a veterans' representative for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Rodney says he saw firsthand just how many veterans struggle to reacclimate to civilian society. He adds he was restricted from providing many necessary services to people under his care, and some veterans were even ineligible for services.
“They don’t teach us how to transition back into society,” he explains. “Veterans are one of the most underserved and unrecognized groups in America. It should be just the opposite, because we're able to do everything we do now because of them.”
Here, the idea for what would become Salute 2 Service was born. First came a collection of suits with the goal of helping veterans dress for job interviews and other opportunities. Soon, Rodney organized a job fair to bring those opportunities directly to the veterans. The services continued to expand, and in 2013, Salute 2 Service (S2S) became an official nonprofit organization with Rodney at the helm as founder and executive director.
“I didn’t have brick and mortar at the time, so I was working out of my house in Langhorne to collect food and clothes, help veterans with their claims, and advocate for them at the state and local level,” Rodney says. “In a lot of cases, there was funding or help available, but they never knew about it. My goal was to bring awareness to them and show them what was out there.”
Over the last decade, S2S expanded to offer dozens of outreach programs, and has a revolving staff of dedicated volunteers out of their headquarters in Newtown at 190 S. Sycamore St. Core staffers include Todd Stauffer/marketing director; Linda Bucsok and Cass Disalvio/office staff; and Thaddeus Clax, Greg Moore, John Flowers, Bill Schultz/food handling.
“From the beginning, I knew it had the potential to be something huge,” Rodney says. “I look forward to growing even bigger; this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Now that he’s no longer a 'one-man band,' Rodney oversees daily operations of the organization and communicates resources from local partners and financial assistance from grants and other forms of funding.
One main service S2S offers is a weekly grocery pickup. In partnership with stores, such as Giant and Sam’s Club, as well as individual donors and with the help of volunteers from the Council Rock School District and beyond, veterans and others in need of assistance can pick up boxes of food each Wednesday morning at the S2S building behind Newtown’s Chandler Hall.
According to Rodney, a typical week results in cars lined up throughout the parking lot to grab a box, with as many as 60 given out regularly. The boxes are filled with a mix of healthy options like fruits and vegetables, essentials for making simple meals, as well as treats.
“I always tell people I’d like to be out of business, because it'd mean that population would be taken care of; but while it’s happening, we’re going to be here trying to help,” he says.
Newtown and larger Bucks County community citizens have rallied around Rodney’s cause. “The people here are just so excited and passionate once they hear what we’re doing,” he says.
As the group works to add new programming, including financial literacy courses and a “reverse boot camp” to aid in transitions back to civilian life, Rodney says they're always seeking additional volunteers to help with tasks, ranging from grant writing and housing assistance to grocery organization and fundraising. Opportunities are listed on their website.
“My motto is we could do more with more,” Rodney says. “Everybody has a connection to the work we do here, and we could use all hands on deck.”
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Salute2Service.org
“I look forward to growing even bigger to help more — this is just the tip of the iceberg.”