Posts open doors on Thanksgiving

While many spent their Thanksgiving either at home or celebrating the holiday with friends and family, Legion family members across the country were at their posts providing a holiday meal for members of the military, the community and their fellow Legionnaires.

One such post, Chincoteague Post 159 in Virginia, served up a meal for its community’s active-duty military and their families, veterans, senior citizens, home-bound area residents and those unable to afford a meal of their own. The post also invited area first-responders to the meal.

More than 80 meals were served, including 10 food deliveries. Non-members also volunteered to help serve the meals. “As one of them stated, ‘You held this for us in the past and was the first organization in decades to do this and not charge for the meal. We wanted to help any way we could to say thank you,’” Post 159 member Scott Edwards said.

Just a few of the other Legion posts that opened their doors on Thanksgiving:

• Emmette J. Shields Post 55 in Hannibal, Mo., served more than 250 dinners at the post and delivered more than 200 to community members unable to attend the dinner.

• Martin-Graves Post 339 in Bellevue, Neb., served dinner to formerly homeless veterans residing in Victory Apartments. The post hosts the event yearly.

• Palatine, Ill., Post 690 hosted an Adopt-a-Sailor dinner for sailors from Great Lakes Naval Station.

• Post 64 in Pittsburg, Kan., cooked four turkeys and two hams for anyone who needed a Thanksgiving dinner.

• Post 38 in Fountain, Colo., hosted a Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by its American Legion Riders chapter.

• Loveland, Ohio, Post 256, Garden Oakes Post 560 in Houston, Post 90 in Los Alamos, N.M., Post 139 in Tampa and Post 50 in Paso Robles, Calif., all hosted dinners.