PENDLETON — Pendleton Correctional Facility’s Purposeful Living Units Serve (PLUS) Program made a $1,500 contribution to The Journey Home Veterans Shelter in Winchester, Indiana.

With an ensemble of 29 participants, PLUS Program Coordinator Samantha Alberson spearheaded a fundraising effort by providing the offender population the chance to purchase Wick’s pies with the proceeds benefiting The Journey Home Veterans Shelter.

According to Alberson, The Journey Home is a first-step homeless shelter for veterans who can live in the unit for up to six months. Veterans who find themselves in the program participate in an individualized recovery plan to help them overcome their personal obstacles, whether they suffer from drug and/or alcohol addiction or mental health issues.

“There are similar parallels between The Journey Home and the PLUS Unit. Mental illness and drug and alcohol addiction play major roles in criminal behavior and often time leads to homelessness,” Alberson wrote in an email. “Along the way, many of our PLUS participants become prosocial and find new meaning in assisting a person whom they can relate to. We hope to continue to work closely with veterans groups as many of our participants can identify with the struggles our veterans face when returning to civilian life.”