Our Mission
Paths for Heroes is built on one belief: there is no reason a veteran should be homeless or hungry in this country. Our mission is to end veteran homelessness and food insecurity — not through charity, but through a self-sustaining economic ecosystem that puts money where veterans actually live.
VetPerksOS (Powered by Paths for Heroes) is the engine that makes it possible. Every business that joins the network, every sponsorship, every ad package — it all funds the path to a world where no veteran falls through the cracks.
A Few Words From Our Founder & CEO
Thank you for taking the time to learn about Paths for Heroes. I started this organization because I've lived what I'm trying to fix. As a 100% service-connected veteran, I've seen firsthand what happens when the systems meant to support veterans fall short — when the gap between "served our country" and "has a roof and food" is wider than it should ever be.
I built Paths for Heroes to close that gap. Not with a fundraiser. With a platform — VetPerksOS — that creates real economic activity in veteran communities. Local businesses advertise, sponsors get visibility, and every dollar that flows through the network helps fund our path to becoming a 501(c)(3) dedicated entirely to ending veteran homelessness and food insecurity.
This isn't charity. It's a system. VetPerks paves the path, and Paths for Heroes walks it — one veteran at a time.
Paths for Heroes is a three-part system built to do what no single charity has managed to do: sustainably end veteran homelessness and food insecurity in America.
How the structure works:
- Paths is the parent brand and umbrella — the platform everything runs on.
- VetPerksOS (Powered by Paths for Heroes) is the revenue engine — sponsorships, ad packages, and merchant services that connect local businesses with the veteran community. Every dollar spent here does double duty: it markets your business and funds the mission.
- Paths for Heroes is the future 501(c)(3) mission arm — dedicated entirely to ending veteran homelessness and food insecurity, funded by VetPerksOS revenue instead of donor fatigue.
This isn’t a top-down charity model. It’s a bottom-up economic ecosystem where money circulates locally through businesses that serve veterans — not through a national organization skimming overhead before any dollar reaches the street. Organizations like Wounded Warrior Project raise $450M a year. We’re still waiting to see where it goes. This model is transparent by design.
The founder of Paths for Heroes is Phillip Bryan, a Marine Corps Veteran and 100% service-connected veteran. He knows these issues personally — not from a boardroom. He has been homeless. He has not known where his next meal was coming from. He has navigated the impossible maze of veteran services and felt every gap in the system firsthand.
That experience didn’t defeat him. It built him. And it built Paths for Heroes — because he knew that what veterans need isn’t sympathy or a one-time donation. They need a system. A path.
VetPerks paves the path. Paths for Heroes walks it.
To join our mission or learn about sponsorship opportunities, email support@pathsforheroes.com or call (520) 600-0479.
Our Founder
Company Founders
Phil Bryan USMC Veteran
Owner & CEO
Thank you for supporting Paths For Heroes. We could not do it without your support.
Heather Hackett
Co-Founder, Paths for Heroes
Heather was the heart behind this mission. She believed that serving your community didn’t stop when the uniform came off — it started. Paths for Heroes was her vision as much as anyone’s, and every veteran who walks into a local business and feels welcome is part of what she set out to build.
Heather passed unexpectedly on September 1, 2024. She never got to see VetPerksOS launch, but her fingerprints are on every part of it.
Heather’s dream was Lucy’s Corner — a chain of indoor dog parks where her babies Lucy and Maddie (and every dog like them) could have the full run of the place, with all the bells and whistles. That dream hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s just waiting its turn.
This work continues in her name.
24 Hours Support
We are available 24 hours a day for your convenience. We work on your time.
Admin Panel
For issues and concerns please email support@pathsforheroes.com
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