Former Marine Ben Morales said that after falling on hard times, he sought out services through a VA homeless veterans stand down some years back. In 2022, he said he “wanted to give back” and volunteered for the first time to assist at the Grand Rapids stand down, where he helped round up military surplus items from DLA for first time attendee Cynthia Taylor, the spouse of a former soldier and Marine. Her evaluation of the event? “It’s beautiful,” she said.