American Legion Post 260 in Portage, Ind., serves over 5,500 meals to area residents after a derecho left hundreds of thousands without power, caused widespread damage.
On Aug. 11, a derecho with top wind speeds of 100 miles per hour moved through the Midwest, causing multiple fatalities. One of those occurred in Portage, Ind., when the storm was believed to be the cause of a home explosion.
The storm caused damage to buildings and downed power lines that resulted in hundreds of thousands of residents being without electricity and multiple roads being impassable.
American Legion Post 260 in Portage lost power when a tree was knocked down and hit its pavilion, taking a power line with it; as of Aug. 19, it remained without power. That left the membership with a dilemma: what to do with the perishable food stored at the post.
That dilemma didn’t last long. The day after the storm, Post 260 staged a community picnic, using its food to provide meals for members of the community. And for the next five days the post continued to do so, providing hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork and breakfast items among its offerings.
Over the course of six days, more than 5,500 area residents were provided meals, while uniting the community as it began its recovery effort.
“We never did this for recognition. We just did this to feed the town: anybody who didn’t have the means to make food,” Post 260 Commander John Keyl said. “We had people come Wednesday who said they hadn’t eaten anything since Monday night before the storm hit on Tuesday.”
Keyl said he went to check on the post the night of Aug. 12 after the storm had passed. Other members of the post’s Legion Family had the same idea, and after assessing the damage, the group went inside to figure out what to do with the post’s perishable food supply. That’s when the idea was born.
“I said, ‘Instead of letting the food go bad, we should have a picnic (Aug. 13),” Keyl said. “I said I’d call the mayor and say, ‘Hey, if you guys are hungry, swing by the post.’ And that snowballed. On the first day we served around 500 people on Wednesday. Those people came back Thursday and brought stuff out of their freezer and said, ‘Hey, instead of this going bad at my house, you guys can cook it up.”
The post served five afternoon meals and one morning one; those who showed up were served until food ran out.
Keyl credited members of the entire Legion Family at Post 260 with allowing the effort to make the impact that it did. “It wasn’t just me,” he said. “We started out with 10 people helping, and by (Aug. 16) we had 25 people running and doing all that they can. And some of them aren’t even members of the post. They’re just neighbors. Some of them were moving branches so we could have more parking and feed more people. It was a huge community thing.”
American Legion Department of Indiana Commander Ron Hoaks took time to stop by Post 260 and then went on Facebook to praise their effort.
“We talk about what The American Legion does not only for God and country, what we do for our veterans, and for our children and youth, but we also do a lot for our community,” Hoaks said during a video. “This is a prime example of how we give back to our community. This is what we do.”
Assistance Available. Through The American Legion’s National Emergency Fund (NEF), grants of up to $3,000 for Legionnaires and SAL members, and $10,000 for Legion posts impacted by the flooding and tornadoes are available. Individuals must have been displaced from their primary residence due to damage from a declared natural disaster. Post grants must derive from a declared natural disaster causing damage to the post building and restricting use of the facility for programs.
NEF does not provide for repairs or replacement of lost or damaged items in the primary home of residence. If the destroyed property is owned by the member, but he/she does not physically live there, that is not covered. Vehicles or outbuildings are not covered. If the home is rented, renters insurance paperwork should be provided, if any.
For American Legion posts, the only things covered are for post programs that might sustain losses pertaining to the intent of the four pillars of The American Legion. Losses from the social quarters and/or restaurant of the post are not covered. A copy of the most recent Consolidated Post Report (CPR) needs to be attached.
NEF grants are not meant to replace or repair items, only to meet the most immediate needs (i.e., temporary housing, food, water, clothing, diapers, etc.) during the period immediately following the disaster. They also do not cover insurance compensation or monetary losses from a business, structures on your property (barns, tool sheds, etc.,) equipment or vehicles.
To request NEF assistance, click here. To donate to the National Emergency Fund, click here.
- Community