Residents of the Silver Bay Veterans Home were treated to lunch at American Legion Post 413 recently. Right: Vets home volunteer Rose Elam and Mary Olin visit with Post Commander Don Wilson. Mary once managed a lounge in Grand Marais so they had a nice talk about “old times.” Lower left: Vice- Commander Bob Mattson visits with Roger Beyer and Gil Johnson. Lower right: Auxiliary member Nancy Backlund gets a food order—and a joke—from Bob Kaylor.
The mission of the American Legion Auxiliary is to serve our nation’s veterans. The members of American Legion Post 413 are troubled by the number of homeless veterans in the United States and they are doing something to make a difference. From now until just after Veterans Day, November 15, the Legion Auxiliary is conducting a clothing drive.
The Post 413 Auxiliary is teaming up with Help-A-Vet, a Minneapolis group formed by veteran Tom McKenna to deal with the growing numbers of homeless veterans in Minneapolis. Help-A-Vet and The Hands Foundation are working together toward the goal of eradicating the epidemic of homeless veterans in our country.
The organizations work to help homeless veterans who are not dressed appropriately for the cold winters in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The project began with volunteers giving veterans a quilt designed just for them. Quilts are still accepted, but perhaps more important are donations of warm clothing and cold-weather gear. Help-A-Vet is seeking items such as winter boots and coats, socks, long johns, hooded sweatshirts, new men’s underwear, backpacks, travel-sized toiletries, backpacks and sleeping bags.
The organizations are also expanding their mission to help veterans find jobs and housing, so monetary contributions are also welcome.
If you would like to help Post 413 Legion Auxiliary collect these necessary warm weather items, simply bring them to the American Legion lounge in Grand Marais. If you would like more information, please contact Nancy Backlund at (218) 387-1798.
If you would like to learn more about Help-A-Vet, visit www.HandsFoundation.com.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the National Coalition for the Homeless there are an estimated 76,000 – 200,000 homeless veterans. Veterans make up about 25 percent of the total homeless population in the United States. An estimated 38 percent of homeless vets are from the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.
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