All too often, the death of a homeless military veteran with no family reaches the news. While funeral homes invite the larger public to their funerals–sometimes drawing a crowd of hundreds of people–it remains difficult to find charitable individuals who will help carry out the funeral rites.

At the University of Detroit Jesuit School, however, high school seniors are volunteering to serve as pallbearers for homeless veterans with no family to mourn them.

Seventeen year-old Nick Benedetto explained that he volunteers as a pallbearer because he believes everyone deserves a proper burial regardless of whether family members can attend.

“During the funerals, while listening to the eulogies, I heard a particular statement that I feel was very important. ‘While you didn’t know him by name or sight, we are all here today to recognize his service to our country,'” Benedetto said. “I realized that none of us present knew anything about the deceased. However, we were all there to pay them respect for serving our country. After that, I felt a sense of peace and was thankful that I was able to be a part of the services.”

The faculty member leading this initiative, Todd Wilson, said that 50 students signed up to train as pallbearers when the program first started and more will attend the next training session in November.

“[The students] believe that, through being a pallbearer at the funerals of veterans, the homeless, the socially poor and others, they are … offering a final tribute to a person’s life journey,” Wilson said.