10,000 veterans lost their homes this year. Barely anyone noticed.
Here’s what happened — and what you can do about it.
Today: VA foreclosures, a grocery store scam, an eye drop recall, and an 88-year-old comedian.
10,000 Veterans Lost Their Homes After the VA Killed Its Foreclosure Rescue Program
Here’s a number that should make you angry. More than 10,000 veterans have lost their homes to foreclosure since May 2025, when the VA shut down its foreclosure rescue program — VASP (Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase) — with just one week’s notice.
VASP had saved 33,000 veterans by giving them new mortgages at 2.5% interest rates. Many were older adults on fixed incomes who fell behind during COVID. Now another 90,000 are heading toward foreclosure, and the VA’s replacement program still isn’t operational.
The takeaway: If you’re a veteran behind on mortgage payments, contact a HUD-approved housing counselor now at 1-800-569-4287 or visit hud.gov/counseling. If these cuts concern you, your representative’s number is at house.gov/representatives. For context: Medicare premiums ate 36% of your Social Security raise this year (AARP) and 359 organizations are fighting further Medicaid cuts (KFF).
Read the full NPR investigation →
Know a veteran? Forward them this issue — the number above could save their home.
🛒 The Grocery Store Scam You Won’t See Coming
This one’s not online — it’s happening at self-checkout. Someone says, “Excuse me, you dropped this,” pointing to cash on the ground. While you look down, an accomplice grabs your wallet or swipes your card from the terminal. What to do: Keep your wallet in a zipped pocket, not the cart. Secure your belongings first, then respond. Use credit — not debit — at self-checkout.
→ Full breakdown (SavingAdvice)
👁️ Check Your Medicine Cabinet — 3.1 Million Eye Drops Recalled
This one’s worth a quick look under the sink. The FDA just recalled 3.1 million bottles of OTC eye drops sold at Walgreens, CVS, and Kroger over sterility concerns. Brands include “Ultra Lubricating Eye Drops,” “Dry Eye Relief,” and “Artificial Tears.” No infections yet, but don’t wait. What to do: Check the lot number on your bottle at fda.gov/safety/recalls.
→ Full recall details (NBC News)
🏃 Exercise Variety Beats Exercise Amount — Harvard, 30 Years, 111,000 People
Good news if you hate the gym. Harvard found that people who did the widest variety of exercises — walking, gardening, biking, light weights — had a 19% lower risk of dying early, regardless of total exercise time. Translation: You don’t need to run marathons. Mixing a daily walk with gardening and stretching may protect you more than doing one thing intensely. Add one new movement this week.
→ Read the study (Harvard/BMJ Medicine)
📊 Elder Fraud Hit $4.9 Billion Last Year — Up 43%
The FBI’s latest numbers are jaw-dropping. Adults 60+ filed 147,000 fraud complaints in 2024, with an average loss of $83,000 per victim. Investment scams were the costliest at $1.8 billion. What to do: Freeze your credit at all three bureaus — it’s free and takes 10 minutes. Never invest based on an unsolicited call or social media message.
The DoorDash Grandpa Who Raised Nearly $1 Million
Richard Pulley is 78. He came out of retirement in Manchester, Tennessee after his wife Brenda lost her job. They’d been doing DoorDash deliveries together — Richard driving, Brenda calling out the turns — just to keep up.
A customer’s Ring camera caught Richard delivering food, and the video went everywhere. A GoFundMe hit $300,000 in 24 hours. It’s now approaching $1 million.
Here’s the part that got me: Richard says the money is “taking a lot of pressure off of us.” But he doesn’t plan to fully retire. He likes the work. He likes the people.
If you know someone stretching to make it work, benefitscheckup.org can find benefits they may qualify for.
Read Richard’s full story (WSMV Nashville) →
An 88-year-old Scottish grandmother walked into a comedy club in Edinburgh last month and did her first-ever stand-up set. She’d never been on stage. Never taken a class. She just decided at 88 that she had some things to say, and people should probably hear them.
She killed it. Standing ovation.
When asked why now, she said she’d been “a bit of a joker all my life” and figured it was time to make it official.
That’s all for this week. Go mix in some gardening with your walk — apparently Harvard says so.
— Nino
P.S. Know a veteran or military family? Forward them this issue — the housing resources in today’s Big Story could matter. Every forward helps us reach more people who need this.
