Veteran donates 36 hectares of land for homeless veterans

Besides their devotion to each other, Marty Weber and his long-time partner Jeff Poissant had many things in common. They had a business together. Both loved nature. Both had served in the US Army and both experienced first-hand some of the challenges military veterans can face.

When Poissant died of cancer four years ago, Weber could think of no better way to honour their 30-year union than by supporting military veterans in need.

To make that possible, Weber donated 36 acres in the countryside adjacent to the Pinelands National Reserve in New Jersey to be used as a rehabilitation centre/retreat for mental illness and addiction. Its name? Jeff's Camp.

Considering that Weber rejected a $3 million bid for the property, this is an extremely generous gesture.

In partnership with two already existing outreach programmes for the homeless - Just Believe and New Life Addiction Services - Jeff's Camp will include an 8,000-square-foot facility with a thrift shop and a sober living house offering treatment, rehabilitation and vocational training - all in a serene, wooded setting.

"While (New Life) works with them on the medical side, we can work on the rehabilitation/professional side, get them back into society, touch people, get back into the public eye and give people what they need. That's what the shop is going to do," Just Believe director Paul Hulse told NJ.com.

In an impromptu ceremony on May 27, Weber signed a letter of intent to deed over the land on which Jeff's Camp will be built. Watching was a group with New Jersey Congressman Andy Kim - against whom Weber once ran as a candidate for New Jersey's 3rd District seat.

Clearly, there are no hard feelings.

"If there was ever an issue trying to unite our country, it would be about supporting our veterans," Kim told NJ.com. "So this is something where it should be all hands on deck. It should be a no-brainer for everybody."

A no-brainer perhaps, and a fitting testament to two veterans who loved each other and their country.

Veteran Donates 36 Acres of Land to Build Retreat for Homeless Vets Struggling With Addiction