On Veterans Day, “thank you for your service” is everywhere: on storefront signs, in social feeds and in quick exchanges at the grocery store. The words matter. Still, as the nonprofits that serve veterans every day know, gratitude carries the most weight when it is something a veteran can lean on – a safe place to live, a counselor who never sends a bill, a service dog trained to help them reconnect with the people they love.

We asked five Give Lively member nonprofits what it looks like to put “thank you for your service” into action. Their programs span housing, mental health care, equine-assisted therapy and service dog training, yet their answers focused on the same underpinning idea: Support shouldn’t end when someone’s military service does or after special days honoring service. It starts with asking veterans and their families what they need. And it means standing, walking, rolling or lying with them through the long, often unsung convalescence process, with cost never standing in the way.

Read on to hear from these organizations in their own words, and to find ways you can stand behind their work all year long.

In their own words

“The most meaningful way to honor a veteran is to walk alongside them. Not just on Veterans Day, but in the quiet moments after, when healing is hard work. Help them find purpose, remember they are warriors and always be a Force for Good!”
- Aerial Recovery

“Honoring Veterans means turning gratitude into action by supporting MACV as we invest in safe housing, meaningful resources and strong community partnerships that help Veterans and their families find and maintain long-term stability. Every act of support strengthens our communities and creates more opportunities for Veterans to build the futures they envision for themselves and their families.”
- Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans

Not every veteran fits into the same box, and neither does their family. Real support begins when we stop assuming what they need and start asking. Honor veterans with more than words. Stand behind organizations delivering innovative solutions, measurable impact and real results – with the receipts to prove it. Gratitude is good. Action changes lives.
- Project Sanctuary

“’Thank you for your service’ in action means making sure no Veteran, service member or military family has to choose between their mental health and their budget. At Trails of Purpose, that looks like 100% free counseling and equine-assisted therapy, offered on the farm and in community, so healing feels possible.”
- Trails of Purpose

“Putting ‘thank you for your service’ into action means showing up for Veterans long after their military service ends. At Warrior Freedom Service Dogs, we provide trained Service Dogs at no cost to Veterans living with service-related post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), helping them reconnect with their families, their communities and their independence.”
- Warrior Freedom Service Dogs

On the cover: Navajo Code Talker Thomas Begay, who served in World War II as one of the original Code Talkers. This Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month, we honor the Native service members whose courage helped shape history. 📸 U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Ryanne Williams