The Robert C. Carpenter Community was packed to the brim with veterans and volunteers on Thursday during the sixth annual Smoky Mountains Veteran Stand Down.
Veteran Stand Downs have been around since the ’80s as a way of rallying community resources around service members in need. The Smoky Mountains Veteran Stand Down invites veterans from all of the seven westernmost counties in North Carolina to take advantage of their services.
Leigh Tabor, director of Macon County Veteran Services, said they cast a very wide net so that they can help as many people as possible in the region.
“It’s not just about Macon County, but about all the veterans in the seven western counties,” Tabor said. “We saw 220 veterans last year. We won’t have the numbers right away for this year, but we’ve seen a lot of people early.”
Dozens of local businesses and civic groups set up booths at the Stand Down to offer help to veterans. There was a clothes closet, the VFW offered a free year of membership, and vets could even get a massage. A wide variety of health care providers were at the event to offer care on site, including Haywood Family Eye Care, which gave free eye exams and gave veterans the chance to come into the office and get a free pair of glasses.
“We want to show vets that we care and that we appreciate them,” said certified paraoptometric assistant Candace Conner. “We want them to go through life having the best vision possible.”
NCWorks went all out for the event by bringing the Mobile Career Center, a bus outfitted with computers, Wi-Fi, printers and everything else one needs to apply for a job. The Mobile Career Center also serves as a classroom for job training, which the state sponsors for free to veterans.
Career advisor Yvonne Cano said it’s important for NCWorks to reach out to veterans because Macon County is full of employers who want to give them jobs.
“Employers in North Carolina are looking for North Carolinians in general to put to work,” Cano said. “And a lot of employers in Macon County in particular are very veteran friendly. They want veterans. They’re searching for veterans.”
Bill Trapani of VFW Post 7339 was grateful to see such so many Macon business owners, volunteers and community leaders dedicating their time to the cause. With some local veterans being homeless, food insecure and suffering from other financial difficulties, he’s proud to see people invested in alleviating the burden on veterans.
“This is a necessity,” Trapani said. “We’d like to see this done even more often. If veterans know to come here when they have a problem then maybe we can help them.”
For more information on the Stand Down and other programs offered by Macon County Veteran Services, call at 828-349-2151 or go to maconnc.org/veterans-services.
June 8, 2026
