Coffee with a Veteran event brings Gulf Coast veteran community together

HARRISON COUNTY, Miss. (WXXV)-Veterans gathered at Gulf Coast Community College for a free event centered on building connections and creating new opportunities for those who served.

The fourth annual Coffee with a Veteran event took place at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Hospitality Resort Management Center, bringing the military and veteran community together over free breakfast and an opportunity to network. Military One Coast Liaison Laura Benoit said, “You know there are so many resources available to veterans along the Gulf Coast, and this is just a great opportunity to bring them into one room. So, a veteran can visit and see all the resources that are available to them. We have mental health resources, physical health resources, financial, we have breakfast, coffee, and it’s really a relaxed atmosphere.”

There was more than coffee on the menu, two $500 Military One Coast business grants were dispersed to local small businesses including Evergreen Jewelry Design, a veteran owned business, and Mississippi Heroes, a local nonprofit organization. Casey Delagrave with Evergreen Jewelry Design said, “Getting support from veterans, as a veteran myself, is huge! Being in a community that has veteran support is not only beneficial to me personally, but as a business. I’ve lived in other communities that don’t have as much veteran support and there’s a huge difference.”

Hosted by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and the Mississippi Coast Chamber of Commerce, the event promoted veteran entrepreneurship and created opportunities for veterans to thrive in their next chapter.