Gina Pollut hails from Palisades Park, New Jersey and currently resides in Little Ferry, New Jersey. She proudly served in the United States Marine Corp from 1988 to 1989.  She served as 3531 Motor Vehicle Operator at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. As a motor vehicle operator, she operated transport tactical wheeled vehicles and transported both passengers and cargo in support of combat and garrison operations. She also performed crew and operator level maintenance.

For many years after serving, Gina did not consider herself a veteran. Gina discounted her service since she was unable to complete her 4 year enlistment and was never deployed. It is a stigma that many women veterans experience after their service. As a result, when Gina experienced employment and financial difficulties throughout the early to mid 2000s, she did not seek veterans’ assistance. Unable to find work, Gina found herself literally homeless for a period of 5 years.

During this period, Gina recalls sleeping in abandoned buildings and crafting makeshift shelters on the street. Throughout the day, she would panhandle. On many days, Gina would only get enough money to purchase a $.30 bag of Cheetos and a $.30 Little Debbie brownie. Other days, she would go without food. After years of literal homelessness, Gina relocated to New Jersey in 2009 and decided to get involved with the veterans community in Bergen County. It was this involvement that helped her overcome her challenges and find employment with Catholic Charities Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), a Department of Veteran Affairs grant-funded program providing support services to Veterans with very low income who are literally homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

As a Veteran Outreach worker for Catholic Charities SSVF, Gina utilized her own experiences to connect with homeless veterans throughout 7 counties in Northern New Jersey. Gina was a regular at soup kitchens and homeless shelters where she worked with homeless veterans to help them find shelter, financial assistance, transportation, food, and anything else within the guidelines of the Department of Veterans Affairs grant. Gina became well-known in the veterans community for her compassion and diligence.

While working at Catholic Charities SSVF, Gina joined veteran organizations throughout Northern New Jersey. Currently, Gina is an active member of the American Legion. In 2019, Gina was elected to the Veterans Service Officer position at American Legion Post 310 in Little Ferry. She is also involved with the Department of New Jersey – Marine Corps League for the past 3 years. In 2017, she was appointed to the Veterans Service Officer position and elected to the Junior Vice Commandant position in 2018. Gina has previously served as the Co-Chair of the New Jersey SoS Vets Stakeholders women veterans subcommittee, which was instrumental in getting Senate Joint Resolution No. 114 signed into law, designating June 12th of each year as “Women Veterans Appreciation Day” in New Jersey.

Gina has been a very active of the veteran community in Northern New Jersey holding multiple positions in various organizations. Gina is an active member of the American Legion for 7 years and  Post 310 Little Ferry for the past 6 years, being elected to the Veterans Service Office position in 2019. She is also involved with the Marine Corps League for the past 3 years appointed as Veterans Service Officer in 2017 and elected to the Jr. Vice Commandant position in 2018. Member of Women Marines association since 2017 Cpl. Valdez NY-6 chapter out of Bronx, NY. She served as the previous Co-Chair of the SoS Vets Stakeholders women veterans subcommittee which bolstered the signing in to NJ law in 2019 of the Women Veterans Appreciation Day as June 12th, as well as advocacy regarding barriers and lack of services at the VA for NJ women veterans.

After leaving Catholic Charities, Gina is now employed as a Checker for the International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO – a labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways. She hopes that her story and continued work with veterans helps combat systemic veteran homelessness. As of 2020, approximately 11% or 67,000 veterans are homeless in the United States. Women veterans account for nearly 9% of the 67,000 homeless veterans, but this number is growing disproportionately as many do not seek help from the VA as many do not identify themselves as being veterans. 

Thank you for your service Gina!