County Office of Veterans Services to Host First Veterans Stand Down

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – The County of Santa Clara Office of Veterans Services will host its first Santa Clara County Stand Down to offer free services, supplies, medical care and more to all qualified veterans. The two-day event will take place on July 8 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and July 9 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, Fiesta Hall, 344 Tully Road in San José. 

Several County Departments, community organizations and other veteran service agencies have collaborated to provide a one-stop shop for veterans. They will be able to get haircuts, food, employment assistance, medical and dental screenings, mental health resources, legal aid, service benefits and more. 

“Our veterans sacrificed their all for our country, and for all of us. It’s now our job to help them integrate back into society once they’ve stood down from service,” said Steve Fondacaro Interim Director of the County Office of Veterans Services. “We’ve brought together support agencies from throughout the county to host our first Stand Down and hope every veteran in our community who needs help, can join us.” 

The State of California Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Benefit Administration will have representatives at the Stand Down to help people resolve claims on site. The County worked with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley to provide food at the event and the Valley Transportation Authority to provide free rides on all buses and trains from anywhere in the county to and from the event.  

“The County is committed to help veterans receive their hard-earned benefits,” said Otto Lee, District 3 Supervisor and retired 28-year US Navy veteran. “I thank all the community organizations who came together to host this Veterans Stand Down. We should make this an annual event to make it easy and accessible for veterans to get services.”

Veterans are urged to register for the event so organizers can plan to have enough supplies and services. While it is a two-day event, overnight camping at the Fairgrounds will not be permitted. 

The term “Stand Down” is derived from when service members return home from a tour of duty and are no longer in a state of readiness. The first Stand Down was held in San Diego in 1988.

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ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA 
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multicultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, Calif., making it more populous than 14 states in the United States. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.

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Media Contact: Laurel Anderson/Matthew Rudig, Office of Communications and Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119, [email protected]