IPODS For Wounded Veterans

iPods for Wounded Veterans is a Wilmington-based, all-volunteer nonprofit that brings electronics and gifts to wounded American service members from the Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Its goal is to make the long months, sometimes years, of rehabilitation less monotonous. Volunteers hand-deliver MP3 players, tablets, headphones, magazines and letters of encouragement, meeting veterans and their families one-on-one at military and VA hospitals.

The group began in 2011, when military veterans Paul Cardello and John Parker learned that recovering soldiers mainly wanted music. They arrived at Walter Reed with 32 iPods, realized it was not nearly enough, and returned weeks later with gifts for every wounded soldier they met. Today the group raises money at events hosted by supporters such as Teamsters Local 170, Salem Five and the Tewksbury Elks, and packs care packages for veterans.

What to Know

• The organization has no paid employees.
• More than 80 percent of funds raised go directly to wounded veterans, with travel the only other expense.
• A Class A security clearance lets volunteers deliver gifts in person inside hospitals.
• Donations reach VA hospitals in several states, Walter Reed, Fort Belvoir and the New Hampshire Veterans Home.
• Volunteers packed more than 100 veteran care packages in one recent October.