The best place to start this Veterans Day depends on what you can offer. Volunteer through DAV or your local VA, give toward a family’s posted urgent need, or help a veteran find the right contact for housing or transportation. Here are seven organizations and three direct routes to assistance.

First, a heartfelt word. Everyone at Corona Shoutouts appreciates everything veterans have done for us, and we hear the same gratitude from neighbors all over Corona, Norco, and Eastvale. Saying thank you is wonderful. Turning that thank-you into an afternoon of volunteering, a donation, or a helpful phone call is even better. This guide is here to make that next step easy.

If you have time to volunteer

• DAV (Disabled American Veterans). Volunteer to drive veterans to VA medical appointments or ask about other ways to help locally. Volunteer with DAV · Donate to DAV
• VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement. Contact a nearby VA facility to ask which volunteer roles or donations it can use. In Southern California, VA Loma Linda lists patient escorts, greeters, and transportation drivers among its volunteer roles. Check with the office before organizing a collection. Find VA volunteer and donation options · Volunteer or donate at VA Loma Linda
• Honor Flight Network. Help veterans visit memorials dedicated to their service. Ask a local hub about volunteering or give to the national network. Find an Honor Flight hub · Donate to Honor Flight

DAV says its Transportation Network relies on volunteer drivers at more than 247 VA locations around the country, and that because it is staffed by volunteers, it can’t cover every community. That makes every new driver valuable. If you have a regular free morning, tell the coordinator when you call.

Volunteering close to home

For Inland Empire neighbors, VA Loma Linda is a natural place to start. Its official page lists volunteer roles such as greeters, patient escorts, administrative help, courtesy cart drivers, and volunteer transportation network drivers at locations across its healthcare system. The page also lists monthly volunteer orientation sessions on the second Thursday of the month at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Loma Linda, and it says the system accepts cash donations and physical items veterans need, online or in person. Contact the Voluntary Service Office before dropping off large items. VA Loma Linda volunteer and donation details

VA Loma Linda’s list of locations includes a health clinic on Teller Street here in Corona, so many local veterans already know the system well. VA Loma Linda locations

If you want to give online

• Operation Homefront. Browse posted urgent requests from military and veteran families. The descriptions show what donors are being asked to help cover. Give toward an urgent need
• Semper Fi & America’s Fund. Support wounded, ill, and injured service members, veterans, and their families through immediate and long-term assistance. Donate online
• Fisher House Foundation. Help families stay near loved ones receiving medical care. You can give money or look into contributing eligible airline miles or hotel points. See ways to give
• Homes For Our Troops. Help build specially adapted homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans. See donation options

A few details from those official pages can help you choose. Operation Homefront says a gift is designated for the urgent need you pick, and if that need has already been met, it supports the organization’s other programs for military families. Semper Fi & America’s Fund lists a mailing address in Oceanside, here in Southern California, and says it has earned an A+ rating from CharityWatch. Fisher House Foundation lists options like memorial gifts and workplace fundraisers. Homes For Our Troops offers tribute gifts made in honor or in memory of a loved one, which can be a meaningful way to recognize a veteran in your own family this November.

Make it a group project

Veterans Day is a great time to bring people together. A youth sports team, a classroom, a scout troop, a church group, or a few coworkers can choose one cause and work toward a shared goal. Pick a single posted need on Operation Homefront and celebrate when the group helps fill it. Sign up together for a VA volunteer orientation. Or ask a VA facility what items it can actually use before collecting anything, so every donation lands where it helps most.

Kids love being part of something real. Let them help count donations, write thank-you cards to include with a gift, or make a poster for the collection box. Those moments teach the next generation that gratitude is something we show, not just something we say.

If you or a veteran you know needs help

• Emergency bills. Eligible veterans and military families can check requirements for help with qualifying rent, utility, or car repair expenses. Check eligibility and apply with Operation Homefront
• Housing or risk of homelessness. Call 877-424-3838 or chat online. The VA’s service is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Veterans and people helping them can call. Contact the VA National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
• A ride to a VA appointment. Contact the nearest DAV transportation coordinator to ask about free rides and availability. Find a DAV transportation coordinator

The VA explains that when a veteran contacts its homeless call center, a trained staff member asks a few questions and then connects them with the nearest VA staff person who can help. Family members and friends who call receive information about available programs, and they can keep their own information confidential.

Choose one step you can take this week. If you’re passing along a resource, share the application, coordinator, or phone number that matches what the person needs. A direct link can save them a search when they already have a deadline or appointment to manage.

Take a moment to remember

If you want a quiet way to mark the day, visit the Corona Veterans Memorial at City Hall. According to its official website, the five-sided memorial honors each branch of the military with its service medallion and includes a kiosk with a database of local veterans. It was dedicated on November 11, 2012. About the Corona Veterans Memorial

To every veteran who calls our community home: thank you. We appreciate everything you have done for us, and we are proud to be your neighbors. For more ideas, see our guide, How to Honor Veterans on Veterans Day and All Year Long, and our story on free rides to VA appointments.