‘There are a lot of people that need help’
(Post 169 Facebook photo)

‘There are a lot of people that need help’

The holiday season can be a busy one for many people. It was especially busy for the American Legion Family at Post 169 in Oneida, N.Y. But the work they put in made an impact.

From assisting local foster children and financially struggling families, to staging toy drives and helping their own members, the post’s Legion Family spent a good portion of the holidays focused on the needs of others.

“The community is one of our pillars: giving back to the community we live in. Most of us work here, and most of us grew up here,” said Auxiliary Unit 169 President Penni Conley. “There is a lot of need. There are a lot of people struggling. There are a lot of people that need help. So, if we can give back to our community, that’s where we’d like to give back to.”

Post 169’s Fill Um Up project targets families who may be facing food insecurity over the holidays. The post works with local school counselors to identify five families in need and then get a head count, but not names, for each family. Legion Family members then collect and pack up non-perishable food items such as snacks, juice, pudding, soup, ramen noodles, sauce, hot and cold cereal, crackers, peanut butter and jelly, as well as a ham, potatoes, a bag of apples, loaves of bread, eggs, a gallon of milk, lunch meat and other food items.

The families also are provided with laundry soap, dryer sheets, shampoo and conditioner, new toothbrushes and toothpaste, bath soap and other household items. All of the items are picked up by the school counselors prior to the Christmas break and distributed to the families.

“One of the programs we supported through our Fill Um Up project was a family of 10. I can’t even imagine having a family of 10,” Conley said. “I have a family of four, and I know how much the increase is (over the holidays) in groceries … and all of the other bills and putting gas in your vehicle. This family of 10, there’s eight children all elementary school age. I can’t imagine not being able to feed my family.

“The families we choose, these are really kids in need. After COVID, when they stopped the free breakfasts and free lunches … sometimes these kids don’t have food.”

The post’s Legion Family also collected bedding linen, sweatshirts, toiletries, journals, socks and other items for children the Madison County Foster Children’s Program for the second year. And the post’s annual Toys for Tots campaign resulted in collecting a large amount of toys, books, games, dolls and other gift items, and a cash donation.

Turning inward, the post conducted a raffle to raise funds for a currently unemployed Legion Family member, while meals were provided for an Auxiliary member and her family to help while the woman recovers from a health issue.

Fundraising for all the projects started with a Unit 169 bake sale on Thanksgiving weekend and also included donations from Legion Family members.

“The outreach programs are so fulfilling, knowing you are part of a team that provides support to our communities,” Post 169 Commander Jim Roberts told the Daily Sentinel. “We touch everyone in the community. We signed on to protect and serve while also giving our veterans the opportunity to connect with their communities.”

Conley said the effort couldn’t be accomplished without support from each branch of the Legion Family. “We need everybody. It takes every facet of the American Legion (Family) to make these things happen. The Auxiliary can’t do it all by themselves. The post can’t. We worth together … to make these projects be successful.

“We’re all volunteers. These people volunteered their time to go shopping, to go get groceries, to bake stuff. We had different people shopping for the foster care program. These people volunteered their time away from their own families to make this happen in their community.”

The following are a few other examples of how Legion Family members assisted others over the holidays.

Alabama

In Hoover, members of the Ryan Winslow Post 911 American Legion Family joined with other local Legionnaires for the annual Christmas Caravan. The Legion Family members visited in-patients at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. There, they distributed gift bags that included a handmade card made by art students from Shelby County High School.

Arizona

In Clifton, American Legion Lloyd C. Hill Post 28 hosted the community's annual Christmas toy giveaway. The post has hosted the event for eight years and also purchase some of the 100s of toys that are distributed.

California

In Lompoc, members of Vandenberg American Legion Post 125 and Sons of the American Legion Squadron 125 delivered holiday gift donations to veterans at several area care centers. The donations include clothing items, snacks, and toiletries. They also delivered 20 fleece blankets at the Lompoc Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Fountain Square and the Comprehensive Care Center.

Massachusetts

In Westborough, American Legion Post 163 conducted a Gift Baskets for Veterans program that delivered basted to 15 area veterans.  

New Jersey

In Stone Harbor, members of American Legion Post 331 delivered bedding and other items to Veterans Haven South, a New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs veterans’ home in Winslow. The $7,000 in donated items were purchased with the Post 331’s contingency and commander’s discretionary funds and donations from a recent post fundraiser. Items donated included bedding, trash cans, alarm clocks and bath towels. Veterans Haven South provides an opportunity for homeless veterans to get back on their feet and transition back as productive citizens.

Also, members of the Camden County American Legion Family provided a hot Christmas meal for the Vet Haven South residents that included ham, turkey, venison, multiple side dishes and desserts. Residents also received gift cards from the Legion Family members.

Puerto Rico

In Rincon, members of American Legion Post 67 worked with public housing management and a local social worker to conduct its first Toys for Tots drive. The post collected numerous toys for children living in public housing.

Texas

In San Antonio, Fred Brock American Legion Post 828 teamed with professional blues musician Walter Waiters to host a Toy & Food Giveaway at the post. More than 50 children received toys along with a produce bag from the San Antonio Food Bank.

“This is the time for giving,” said Post Commander Burrell Parmer in a Why I Love My Post submission on legion.org. “The post, along with our Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion, is here not only to support our military and veteran community, but also our youth in our local area.”

Members of Post 828 also volunteered at the 44th Annual Claude W. Black Community Center Holiday Gift Giveaway. The event was designed to provide more than 600 low-income families with toys, while 20 families also had the opportunity to win $50 in H-E-B gift cards.

Virginia

Members of American Legion Post 320 delivered 175 fruit baskets to veterans residing in assisted living facilities in the Spotsylvania County–Fredericksburg area.