JAY – Fundraisers for a Jay man’s project to focus attention and resources on the nation’s homeless veterans are expected to start later this spring.

Meanwhile, former Army Sgt. Jarad Greeley, 25, is continuing his part in the journey, a through-hike of more than 2,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

According to recent e-mail updates from fundraising cosponsor Palmer Hebert, Greeley is currently hiking through North Carolina after starting the trek on March 8 at the trail’s southern terminus on Georgia’s Springer Mountain.

“He is doing fine, spirits are high,” said Hebert, past commander of the Frank L. Mitchell Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2335 in Jay.

“We still need to get the word out about what a great thing this kid is doing,” Hebert added.

After a four-year commitment with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division that included a 15-month tour in Iraq, Greeley and his Army buddy, Marshall Berry of New Hampshire, decided to help homeless veterans by raising awareness and funds via a four- to five-month through-hike of the Georgia-to-Maine trail.

Berry, however, wasn’t able to join him, so Greeley took off anyway, said Hebert. After taking off alone, Greeley, a Jay native who graduated from Jay High School in 2001, met up with a Marine veteran from New Jersey who served three tours in Iraq and was also through-hiking the trail.

Along the way, another veteran who runs an outfitters store, helped Greeley make adjustments to his equipment and lightened his load by about 5 pounds, Hebert said. “As for the fundraisers, we have not done any yet. We are waiting for warmer weather when people do not have to worry about an energy bill,” Hebert said.

To help the nation’s homeless through Greeley’s Appalachian Trail journey, write to: The Homeless Veterans, P.O. Box 27, Jay, ME 04239, call 207-897-0900, or call Hebert at 897-2859.

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