Katie Hill, one of the Congressional Democrat candidates for District 25, hosted a free “Veterans Day Appreciation Breakfast” fundraiser for veterans and veteran service providers Saturday morning.

Hill and volunteers for her campaign woke up early on the holiday morning, in order to prepare for the dozens of Santa Clarita veterans and their families that would come to enjoy a morning of free food and fundraising for veteran mental health services.

“I come from a long line of veterans, from my dad and stepdad both serving, to my grandpas, to in every generation of my family serving going back to the Revolutionary War,” said Hill. “Today matters greatly to me, and the issue of veterans’ services is part of what I’ve dedicated my life to.”

Related: Katie Hill Discusses Candidacy, Partisan Politics In Santa Clarita

In the Newhall home of Harry Reed, a 20-year resident of Santa Clarita and Navy veteran, former military personnel and members of the community watched the Democrat candidate and her team cook and serve food throughout the morning.

“Like Diogenes, (the Greek philosopher) who took his lamp searching for an honest man, I’ve been searching for decades,” said Reed. “I found that in Katie.”

Hill’s background in assisting homeless veterans was an important issue to Reed, and one of the reasons he invited Hill and her campaign into his home on Veteran’s Day.

“She comes from a background in homeless services, and veterans make up a large portion of that community,” said Reed. “Not only do veterans make up a large portion of the homeless population, but also veterans make up a large portion of the suicide rate. That’s where (Katie Hill) will make a difference, that’s where she’ll make things happen.”

Hill’s ‘Veterans Appreciation Breakfast’ invited veterans to enjoy a free breakfast, but asked all others in attendance to contribute monetarily to “Headstrong,” a non-profit organization “committed to veteran mental health care,” according to their website.

“There was a study recently that said 22 veterans a day commit suicide, which makes up 20 percent of the suicides across the country, even though veterans are only 6 percent of the general population,” said Hill. “Suicide rates, substance abuse, mental health and homelessness are all high risk factors for veterans, and that means we need to do a better job helping the men and women who have sacrificed so much for us.”

Along with directly assisting with organizations that directly assist veterans, the candidate also noted that veterans’ can also be assisted by addressing the larger societal issues facing the country.

“Veterans have to be apart of a thriving middle class when they get home, and right now there is so much pressure from so many angles affects everybody,” continued Hill. “For example, the cost of housing is so high right now, for everybody, (and) the GOP plan would have a huge impact.”

Related: Katie Hill Announces Bid For California’s 25th Congressional District

Hill also noted that the cost of living is not the only issue facing veterans after they have returned from active duty.

“Many veterans choose not to use the VA benefits, especially if they have coverage through an employer or the various other reasons that they wouldn’t get it through the VA,” said Hill. “So, our healthcare system needs to be improved. And while I think Steve Knight has done a good job on veteran specific issues, he has not done a good job recognizing that veterans could also stand to benefit from improving healthcare in general.”

However, while she did note the various issues facing veterans currently, the candidate noted that she believes Santa Clarita, along with other northern Los Angeles communities, has done an “excellent job assisting those servicemen and women who have returned home.”

“I really believe that Santa Clarita, as well as Simi Valley and the Antelope Valley, provides a great deal of support for our men and women that go on to serve the country, and I’m proud to be apart of this community,” concluded Hill. “This community is committed to serving our veterans, and I think we need that in Congress as well.”

Katie Hill is one of three Congressional candidates running for the Democrat Party’s bid for 25th Congressional District seat. The winner of the Democratic Primary will most likely campaign against Congressman Steve Knight, the sitting Republican incumbent.

Hill is a graduate of Saugus High School and worked as the Executive Director of PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) which assisted with initiatives Measure H and Prop HHH to help alleviate homelessness in Los Angeles County, according to her campaign website.

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