The East Bridgewater Police Department participated in the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation’s ‘Coats4Vets Buckets’ pick-up event Tuesday. From left, East Bridgewater Police Officer Robert Lang, East Bridgewater Veterans Service Officer Christopher Buckley, and East Bridgewater Police Chief Paul O’Brien. Photo Courtesy of East Bridgewater Police Department 
The East Bridgewater Police Department takes part in the ‘Coats4Vets Buckets’ pick-up event at Gillette Stadium. Photo Courtesy of East Bridgewater Police Department The East Bridgewater Police Department joined with neighboring departments as part of the ‘Coats4Vets Buckets’ event Tuesday. Photo Courtesy of East Bridgewater Police Department
EAST BRIDGEWATER — Chief Paul O’Brien is pleased to announce that the East Bridgewater Police Department participated in the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation’s (MMSF) “Coats4Vets Buckets” event Tuesday, Dec. 8.
The event brought together local police departments, state police and sheriff’s departments to help distribute coats to veterans in need.
On Tuesday, Dec. 8, local police officers from the state’s 351 cities and towns convoyed in police cruisers and other law enforcement vehicles to Gillette Stadium to retrieve “Coats4Vets Buckets”. Each bucket contains a coat, masks, hand sanitizer and snacks that will be distributed to veterans in local departments’ cities and towns.
The distribution method of the buckets is to encourage local authorities to engage and connect with homeless veterans in their communities. Locally, East Bridgewater Veterans Service Officer Christopher Buckley will distribute items to veterans this week.
“Our department is proud to be participating in this event to help those who have served our country,” Chief O’Brien said. “We look forward to connecting with the veterans within our community and provide them with a warm coat for this winter. The East Bridgewater Police Department is always looking for ways to give back to our community and we were honored to have participated in this event organized by the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation.”
The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation has distributed 34,500 coats to veterans since 2016. The sponsors and donors for this years “Coats4Vets Buckets” include the Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, New England Patriots Foundation, Ocean State Job Lot and Home Depot.
About Massachusetts Military Support Foundation:
The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation is an organization dedicated to providing programs, services and goods that help satisfy critical needs and enhance the well-being and quality of life for veterans, active-duty Military and their families in Massachusetts. Each of their programs is designed to have maximum impact on the many issues veterans and active-duty Military face.
The MMSF also run three empowerment centers throughout Massachusetts. Each of these empowerment centers provide food, personal hygiene products and other life essentials for families These centers allow servicemen and their families to connect to various services such as health care, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and job training among others. Since they opened these empowerment centers have served over 383,000 veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families who live in Massachusetts.
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