Tennessee volunteers are filling gift bags for homeless veterans.

Volunteers have been filling gift bags for hundreds of homeless veterans in Bristol, Tennessee.

A truck arrived on December 17th at the National Guard Armory in the city and was packed high with around 400 large gift bags, each destined for those staying at the Veteran's Affairs Medican Center in Johnson City and homeless shelters.

Tricities.com reports that the programme, which is in its fifth year, was first initiated by Twin City recording artist April Taylor, who is still heavily involved in sorting, organising and loading the bags.

She told the news site: "It humbles me to know that one person can have an idea and you spread the word a little bit and the whole community pulls together to make something like this happen. It's a rewarding feeling."

Tables within the Armory were covered with reusable cotton shopping bags this weekend, with each being filled with Christmas cards containing personal messages of support and encouragement.

We offer a wide range of environmentally friendly options from paper bags to our customisable cotton bags. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today to find out more

Blankets, Bibles, fruit, knitted hats and other kind gifts were also included.

For those who could not help add to the bags, many local people also donated money in order to ensure that each one was stuffed full with items.

Ms Taylor explained that while they do not normally take money, it could help towards buying shoes or other essential items for the veterans.

Many of the bags have been handed out already and any undelivered packs will be taken to the nearby Salvation Army shelters and the Haven of Rest.

Organiser Ms Taylor went on to say that the local community responded well to the last-minute pleas for help and she was very grateful for the high level of support.

"People tend to procrastinate. They do that with their own families as well, so I think we get nervous sometimes then we realise they really start coming in," she said, before highlighting that despite tough economic conditions, people continue to give generously.