Tampa charity VetMade Industries, Inc. collected millions of dollars to train disabled veterans, but apparently not if they sit in wheelchairs.

“There are veterans everywhere and disabled people that need help. There’s not a lot of options for them,” VetMade founder John Campbell said.

An 8 On Your Side investigation has found the charity collected more than $6.5 million in car donations since 2010, kept its doors closed for most of that time and has not trained any veterans in years.

Most of the money from car donations was paid to a professional fundraiser called Just Donated, Inc. out of California.

Now the charity confirms, the building where it supposedly provides help to unemployed and disabled veterans is not wheelchair accessible.

“It’s completely inaccessible by wheelchair,” veteran and VetMade volunteer Ken Cook stated. “It has no ramps, it has stairs only, as access to get to the front door.”

Cook volunteered at VetMade Industries when it opened in 2009.

The plan, teach veterans woodworking skills on band saws and drill presses to build and sell Adirondack-style furniture.

“No one has ever been in there and operated a piece of machinery in a wheelchair and few people with wheelchairs have probably ever been in there, because they can’t get in there,” Cook explained. 

Campbell admits there is no wheelchair access to the building.

He says he’s asked the VA for a wheelchair lift.

“That place should never ever have been operating with, A, no ramp access for handicap people, B, no access no proper access to equipment for handicapped people, and 3, no bathroom that can be used at all by handicapped people,” said Cook.

According to Campbell, work is underway to modify the bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible, nine years after VetMade Industries opened.

When we visited VetMade, there didn’t seem to be enough space between equipment for a wheelchair to get through.

The equipment was not at wheelchair height. Campbell assured that he has workstations to accommodate veterans in wheelchairs, although those stations likely have termites.

If you know of something that you think should be investigated call our 8 On Your Side Helpline at 1-800-338-0808. Contact Steve Andrews at sandrews@wfla.com.