Newstrack: Freedom Foundation opens in new Cedar Rapids location, will serve more veterans

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids nonprofit has moved into a new, bigger building, offering expanded possibilities and opportunities to serve more veterans in need.

Background

Freedom Foundation President Brian Eschen said the foundation had quickly outgrown its space in a small commercial building near Coe College at 609 Center Point Rd. NE. It launched a campaign last year to raise money for a move to a new location.

The veterans service and support organization had reached capacity serving about 80 veterans a week at its Thursday luncheon. The new building — which provides about 800 square feet of additional space — will allow the foundation to serve more than 100 veterans at a time inside and about 50 on an outside patio, Eschen said.

He said the new building also offers a better, more visible location next to a city bus stop that will make it easier for veterans to get to, in addition to expanded parking and a full commercial kitchen to help with serving meals.

Eschen said the new location will allow the nonprofit to serve more veterans as well as offer more recreational and family activities, such as movie nights, to hopefully bring in younger veterans and connect them to services and a support network.

What’s happened since

The Freedom Foundation opened March 13 in a new, more spacious location after receiving a nearly $1 million state grant to acquire and renovate the former Local Craft Ale House at 4001 Center Point Rd. NE to expand services and support to veterans in need.

The center also received donations from individuals and businesses and other grant funding from the Mercy Foundation to pay for the roughly $1.4 million project.

Center hours are still the same (8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday).

The nonprofit provides a food pantry, employment placement program, a temporary housing and shelter program for homeless and displaced veterans, a veterans emergency financial assistance fund, and a free weekly meal.

The pantry is open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and available to veterans and active-duty military who need it. Individuals will need to present their DD214 or driver’s license that shows their veteran and military status.

The group also works with other organizations, such as Willis Dady Homeless Services, to assist veterans with lodging, food, transportation, financial and medical assistance.

Funding for the grant was made available through federal COVID-19 relief funds allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Last year, the Freedom Foundation saw more than 6,500 veterans and members of the public pass through its doors, and assisted 92 veterans with emergency financial assistance. The group also paid for hotel rooms for five veterans close to being homeless, provided emergency rental assistance to another 26 veterans facing immediate eviction and provided more than 40,450 pounds of food and personal hygiene and household items to more than 1,900 veterans, according to its website.

“People are just kind of blown away,” Eschen said of the new location.

New additions include an expanded pantry, new shuffle board table, refurbished pool table and new computers for veterans to use to search and apply for jobs and benefits.

“We can do a lot more for veterans with families than we were able to do with our last place,” Eschen said. “We were pretty isolated and we just didn’t have the capacity. … We hope more people will volunteer here because the location and parking is more accessible and a lot safer for our vets.”

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com