Purpose is something business owner Chris Cruise says he understands veterans seeking once they leave the military."I think any veteran when they get a regular job after they get out of the military, they miss the comradery but they also miss serving something greater than themselves," Cruise said.Cruise co-founded Cruise Customs with his wife in 2017. The company sells items made out of bourbon barrels, many of which are also patriotic-themed."My wife wanted something in our house that represented her Kentucky roots and my military service," Cruise said.The thought from his wife inspired their most popular item -- handcrafted American flags. What began as a side business turned into a full-time job when Cruise said he lost his job at the beginning of the pandemic.Throughout the pandemic, Cruise said his business grew tremendously. With proceeds from their "Heartbeat Flag" the company donated $35,000 to both UofL Health and Norton Healthcare at the start of the pandemic. As demand grew, Cruise hired on other veterans like Andrew Ethridge. Ethridge said the new position working to make items like American flags made what was a difficult transition from military to civilian life easier."Being back here in this shop serving with veterans makes me feel like I can be my military self in a way," Ethridge said. "I'm able to talk about my experiences and have that like-minded individual listen to me and understand me."The work among the group -- who are all veterans -- fostered friendship among all, as well as renewed purpose outside of the uniform."There are a lot of veterans that have seen flags covering caskets," Cruise said. "There's a sense of pride in having something in their home that represents them and their service and we wore it on our sleeve every day going into combat. I found new purpose here, being around other veterans."Now, Cruise is on another mission to help veterans nationwide."Luckily we came up with some creative ideas during the pandemic to help this business grow but I could've very well had been the one to reach out to USA Cares and that's when it hit me I was like we need to give back to them because I could've very well needed it for me and my family," Cruise said.For the month of May, Cruise is teaming up with USA Cares to donate 15% of proceeds from all items to the non-profit. USA Cares aims to help veterans and military families most in need with everything from utility assistance to emergency housing."Last year it was about 9,000 total requests came in saying, 'Hey I'm in trouble and with Covid, it really went through the roof," USA Cares President and CEO Trace Chesser said."Now that we're in a position to give back, we're wanting to do that," Cruise said. "A company that has a national impact is also important. There's tons of veterans in Kentucky but there are veterans all over the United States that need help and we want to support that. Bourbon barrels once served a good purpose aging bourbon and veterans once served a great purpose serving our country and we're helping them both find their new purpose handcrafting American flags."The company also sells other items from candles to bottle openers.