SANFORD — Even if they might not know each other personally, veterans will tell you they all share a bond. So when a veteran is going without a pair of boots, a heavy winter parka or a pair of longjohns to keep the cold away, an organization operated by veteran volunteers is ready to help.

On Wednesday, a group of volunteers with The Military Surplus for Homeless Veterans and Veterans in Need were readying the new quarters for veterans who flock here Friday mornings from all over New England. Located for several years in an old mill building on Jagger Mill Road, the organization is about to open in its new digs at 22 Pioneer Ave., which is part of the old Wasco skylight factory and originally part of the Goodall textile mill complex. The military surplus group will be using space there as a warehouse, and there’s a separate, newly-constructed room where veterans can chat and wait for the volunteers to bring their goods out to them. The tentative opening date is Friday. Dec. 6, but is subject to change, and updates will be posted online at www.veteransmilitarysurplus.blogspot.com.

On Wednesday, the volunteers, veterans every one, talked about the program, and why they show up during open hours every Friday from 9 a.m. to noon to help their veteran brothers and sisters.

“If a homeless vet comes in, or a veteran in need, we take care of them,” said John Winslow, who described the Friday open hours as a modified veterans “standown,” except that it happens every week, from September though June, instead of         once a year.

Some of the veterans who come here are sleeping in the woods. Some aren’t, but just need a helping hand.

“We understand people’s privacy,” said Pete Maestre. “A lot who come here aren’t comfortable with the Veterans Administration.”

So the veterans come here, where they show identification and are given a list of 31 items they can take away ”“ all without charge ”“ ranging from warm clothing and boots to sleeping bags and mats, coveralls, duffle bags and more. Most of the items are military surplus, delivered by the tractor trailer load. Socks and underwear are donated by Rolling Thunder of Southern Maine and the American Legion Auxiliary of Biddeford.

Veterans must show a military identification, veterans administration photo identification, or a DD214 (discharge papers) and photo identification ”“ and that’s all. There’s no pressure and no demands. Instead, there’s understanding and tangible help, in the form of a coat or socks or jacket. There are no questions asked.

Sometimes, folks want to chat; sometimes they don’t, showing their ID, accepting their items and going away, volunteers said.

The program was established in 1994 by Billie Jane Slaton, a veteran who worked at the Vet Center in Sanford. Veteran volunteer Dave Harradon said Slaton began with a few items stored in a closet.

The program has now grown to include the vast array stored floor-to-ceiling in the warehouse today. Slaton has since retired, and the program is now under the auspices of the homeless veterans program at the Togus-based Veteran’s Administration. The group works with York County Shelters, and also stocks a veterans administration clinic in Portland ”“ but most items are distributed here.

The volunteers credit entrepreneur and mill owner Fred Smith for his willingness to help, by creating new space for the program at minimal cost. There have been donations by others too, like Patco Construction, Deering Lumber, Home Depot and Lowes and more.

Volunteers moved all of the inventory from the former location ”“ aided by members of the 1136th Transportation Unit of the Maine Army National Guard, whose headquarters is just across town at the armory on William Oscar Emery Drive.

Volunteers talked about some of the experiences since they signed on to help. Maestre remembers helping load a van from a homeless veterans shelter in Brockton, Mass.

“They said they only needed a couple of things,” Maestre recalled. The van went away full. “We got more hugs and more thank-you’s,” he recalled.

Roger Morrissette said World War II veterans and those who served in Korea get special attention.

“We sit them in a chair and treat them like a king,” he said.

There are the emotional moments, such as when a the wife of a veteran living with Alzheimer’s disease brought him in for a few items.

“I got choked up,” said Morrissette.

There are a lot of those situations.

“What hit me most, about 12 years ago, we had a guy come in who had stepped on a land mine and he’s living in the woods,” Morrissette explained. The group was quick to respond to the man’s needs, bringing the items he needed to help keep him warm and dry.

“He’s thanking me,” said Morrissette ”“ who knew the thanks should be going the other way, too, for the man’s service and sacrifice.

“No vet left behind, that’s our motto,” said volunteer Carl Merrill.

Maestre agreed.

“It’s really about taking care of people,” he said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.