Vermont Hardware Store Raises $2K for Veteran Honor Flights

A small Vermont hardware store just proved that spare change can create big moments for American heroes.

Bibens Ace Hardware in Springfield, Vermont, raised $2,028.86 in March by asking customers a simple question at checkout: Would you like to round up your purchase? Every penny went to Honor Flight New England, a nonprofit that sends World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans to visit their memorials in Washington, D.C.

The best part? The veterans pay nothing. Honor Flight covers every expense, from transportation to meals, so aging heroes can spend a day honoring their fallen brothers and sisters at the war memorials built in their honor.

Store Manager John Somers and his team promoted the fundraiser throughout March, and Springfield residents responded. Some rounded up by pennies, others by dollars. It all added up.

In July, Somers presented the donation check to Mark Fountain, a representative from Honor Flight New England. The money will help fund future trips for veterans who served their country decades ago.

The Ripple Effect

Honor Flight New England has been flying veterans to D.C. since 2010, when founder and Executive Director Joe Byron launched the organization from Hooksett, New Hampshire. Many of the veterans they serve never had the chance to visit their memorials when they returned from war. Some came home to protests. Others simply went back to work and raising families, never expecting the nation would one day build monuments in their honor.

These day trips give aging veterans a chance to reflect, to remember, and to feel the gratitude of a nation that hasn't forgotten them. For many, it's the trip of a lifetime.

The Springfield community has supported Honor Flight repeatedly, and this hardware store fundraiser shows how everyday transactions can fund extraordinary experiences. Byron expressed deep thanks to both the shoppers who rounded up and the Aubuchon family that owns Bibens Ace Hardware for making space for the campaign.

Two thousand dollars might seem modest, but it represents hundreds of individual decisions to give. It's neighbors choosing to add 37 cents here, a dollar there, because they believe veterans deserve this honor.

Springfield showed that supporting heroes doesn't require grand gestures, just consistent small ones that add up to something meaningful.