CANFIELD — The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution’s Mahoning Chapter has presented a $10,000 check to Axess Family Services Veterans Haven project.

The donation will provide shelter and food for homeless veterans, and will be an ongoing project for the DAR members.

Veterans Haven is a developing residential facility in Mahoning County dedicated to serving homeless and at-risk veterans, providing housing, support services, and resources for rehabilitation and independence. The facility is being constructed at the intersection of West Warren Avenue and Hillman Street on the city’s South Side and is scheduled to open in 2026.

“Supporting our veterans is at the heart of everything we do,” said Marty Campana, chair of the annual DAR Veterans Golf Classic. “We are honored to contribute to Veterans Haven and help provide the dignity, comfort and hope our local heroes deserve. This new facility represents a fresh start for so many, and we’re proud to play a role in building it.”

Campana said the annual golf outing raises approximately $10,000 each year, and the DAR members love supporting veterans.

Among recent programs is the Guitars4Vets program in Salem that not only teaches guitar to veterans but also provides them with a free guitar once they graduate from the lessons.

DAR also has donated to help set up a Veterans Fund at the Mahoning Valley Rescue Mission, helped fill sparkle bags with personal care and enjoyment items for veterans in nursing homes, gift cards to purchase food at the Carl Nunziato Veterans Clinic foodbank, Santa Bags for veterans struggling at Christmas, the PGA Hope program at Mill Creek Park that runs a clinic and provides clubs to veterans who complete the program, purchasing special cleaning solution for members trained to clean vintage headstones, and the purchase of items requested by the National Guard during deployments.

The $10,000 donated to Veterans Haven will be used for the project’s food pantry, according to Axess Family Services’ assistant director of veterans services Brandi Parker.

She said the Veterans Haven Facility is a newly developed shelter for homeless veterans scheduled to open in 2026. The donation will support the Adopt-a-Bedroom and Adopt-the-Pantry initiatives, which provide essential funding to furnish living spaces and stock food resources for veterans in need.

The first phase of the new housing project will include a transitional shelter made out of shipping containers that Parker said is a greener, faster and less expensive method for construction, yet will look like a traditional home built out of wood and lumber once finished. A food pantry on the campus ensures the homeless veterans have food.

“This is alternative housing,” Parker said. “It provides a house for homeless veterans in the Mahoning Valley. And we have way too many of them.”

She said Veterans Haven will have programs to work with veterans and eventually get them into their own homes, even if they are handicapped. The container shelters are expected to be used by a veteran for around nine months.

“It gives the homeless veterans a hand up and a step towards acquiring permanent housing,” Parker said. “We are still looking at raising $400,000 for the project.”

The DAR donation comes from the annual golf outing held at the Youngstown Country Club. The funds are raised mostly from golfers, who pay $150 for the round of golf. Campana said they do get some large sponsors and donors of around $1,000, but the majority comes from the golfers.

The next outing is set for May 18 at the Youngstown Country Club. Proceeds from that event are partially earmarked already.

“Next year’s outing will help us continue to fund the pantry at Veterans Haven,” Campana said. “We have committed to continued support for the pantry.”

Veterans Haven plans to complete additional phases of the project to add permanent supportive housing on the vacant lots over the next several years. Once Phase One is complete, the facility will have the capacity to serve 14 homeless veterans.

Membership in DAR is open to women who can trace their lineage to a patriot of the American Revolutionary War.

The Veterans Haven project made its way to Mahoning County after an invitation by County Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti in 2019.

The facility has been working out of a temporary shelter on Chalmers Avenue on Youngstown’s South Side since 2021 and has served 75 homeless veterans this year