SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Dozens of people brought smiles to veterans' faces with a car parade Sunday.
People were waving flags and cheering as they drove by the Maine Veterans' Home in Scarborough.
The event was put on by a nonprofit called Vet2Vet Maine. It works to eliminate social isolation for veterans.
The president of Vet2Vet Maine said it's now more important than ever to make sure veterans don't feel alone as many haven't seen family or friends for months because of the coronavirus.
"The veterans at the home have been isolated more so than many of us have been. It's an opportunity for us to drive by, recognize them, show the flag, show them that we care and we're thinking of them because they've had very few visitors over the past couple of months," said president Lynn White.
The nonprofit pairs veterans with other veterans to share experiences. The two visit on a regular basis. The trained volunteers also help their veteran friends apply for needed services and benefits.
"Shared experiences makes for easy conversation. Many of us have not shared with our own families some of our experiences, but we readily talk to other veterans about those, so the shared experience thing is very critical," said Maj. Gen. Bill Libby, Ret.
The nonprofit operates in York and Cumberland counties. It says it is moving to expand beyond those counties, to help all veterans in need.