Letter to the Editor: Support Legitimate Veterans Organizations

In today's mail I received a solicitation from an organization calling themselves American Veterans Support Foundation. It is a beautiful and appealing letter and I was tempted to write a check, but as it was new to me I called the New Jersey Attorney General's office.

It turns out that they are a legal organization, but although they comply with the law by reporting to the state, in fact they are in business for themselves. According to the attorney general's office, they collected $4.3 million dollars last year.  They claim 86 percent for expenses and only 14 percent goes toward helping veterans.

I would encourage everyone to support legitimate veterans organizations who do wonderful work for deserving veterans, but be sure that the organizations are not just complying with the law, but in fact working for the benefit of needy veterans.

When in doubt call the AG's office at 973-504-6215. They will welcome your call.

--Aaron Rosloff, Kendall Park.