Across the nation, posts, units and squadrons are providing meals, food boxes and other opportunities for those in need to enjoy the holiday.
Thanksgiving is a holiday where friends and families gather together to celebrate with good food, comradeship and more than nine hours of football. But for many members of the American Legion Family, it’s also a day to assist others.
Across the nation, members of the Legion Family will set aside time on Thanksgiving – or have done so leading up to the day – to provide meals and support for those in need. From hosting meals, providing delivery or staging food drives, they’ve show or will show the true holiday spirit in stepping up for those in their communities.
The following are a few examples of that holiday spirit. Those Legionnaires and Legion Family members who took part in similar efforts are urged to share their stories and photos on legiontown.org.
California
In Vacaville, American Legion Post 165 is one of the organizations coordinating the annual Vacaville Veterans free Thanksgiving dinner. In addition to a traditional sit-down dinner, a limited number of dinners also will be available for delivery.
Colorado
· In Fountain, American Legion Post 38 is again providing its free dinner to members of the community.
· In Colorado Springs, Neal Thomas Jr. Centennial Post 209 is distributing Thanksgiving holiday boxes for veteran families in need of assistance in the area.
Florida
· In Jacksonville, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 9 staged a non-perishable food drive to provide meals for the families of students at two local elementary schools during the Thanksgiving break. Included in the collection were items for a Thanksgiving meal.
· In Port Tampa, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 138 is supporting Operation Homefront by putting together Thanksgiving dinner bags for 15 military families. The post’s Legion Family also delivered 15 similar bags to Westshore Elementary to assist families still recovering from the hurricanes.
· In Haines City, American Legion Post 34 is providing a free buffet dinner for veterans and their families.
Georgia
· In Blairsville, American Legion Post 121 put together 28 food boxes for the Blairsville VA Clinic, which will identify veterans in need in the area and distribute the boxes to them.
· In Smyrna, American Legion Post 160’s food pantry staged two food giveaways for veterans and non-veterans in the area dealing with food insecurity over the holiday.
· In Acworth, Post 304 continues an annual tradition of providing a free Thanksgiving Day dinner for veterans, the homeless and first responders who are working on that day.
Illinois
· In Oswego, Sons of The American Legion Squadron 675 is providing complete Thanksgiving meals for 14 area families in need. “As a group, we are privileged to provide these meals. It is just a small part of giving back to our community,” said Squadron 675 Commander Jacob Petersohn.
· In Cicero, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 96 is providing a free family friendly Thanksgiving dinner that also will include video games, board games, card games and karaoke.
· In Elmhurst, American Legion Post 187 is hosting U.S. Navy recruits from Naval Station Great Lakes on Thanksgiving Day. Along with appetizers and dinner, the post will set up computers and donate cell phones for the recruits to connect with family members.
Indiana
· In Yorktown, American Legion Post 321 conducted a flag-retirement ceremony that properly disposed nearly 1,400 flags and followed the ceremony with a community Thanksgiving dinner.
· In Bristol, American Legion Post 143 has invited anyone in the community in need of somewhere to go on Thanksgiving to the post for a free Thanksgiving meal.
Iowa
In Polk City, American Legion Riders Chapter 232 raised enough funds and community support to deliver 450 Thanksgiving meals to area veterans. Members of the community helped distribute the meals on Nov. 24.
Kansas
In Halstead, Sons of The American Legion Squadron 231 staged a food drive to provide Thanksgiving meals to nearly 20 families in need.
Kentucky
In Elizabethtown, American Legion Hardin Post 113 is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner that is free to area veterans.
Maryland
In Dorchester, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 91 is hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 27 for Legion Family members and their guests but is also providing delivery meals to veterans who cannot make it to the post.
Massachusetts
· In Bedford, American Legion Post 221 continued a tradition that goes back more than a half-century by hosting the town’s senior citizens for a free pre-Thanksgiving dinner. All area residents ages 65 or older were invited to attend.
· In Sutton, American Legion Riders Chapter 414 donated more than 50 turkeys to Veterans Inc., which hosts a Holiday Harvest event that feeds more than 650 veteran families.
Michigan
· In Berkley, Stanley J. Fons Post 374 is hosting a free potluck-style Thanksgiving dinner for anyone alone or unable to cook.
· In Trenton, Sons of The American Legion Squadron 426 will provide a free Thanksgiving dinner for veterans and their families.
Minnesota
· In Brainerd, American Legion Post 255 is teaming with the VFW, Elks and Eagles clubs for their annual free Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the post. Around 1,500 people either dined in or got delivery dinners in 2023. Any leftover food will be donated to Central Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge and Relationship Safety Alliance in Brainerd. “It's so easy for people that want to stay at home with their families, and then we can just have somebody deliver it right to their door,” said Post 255 General Manager Janelle Lacy, the Community Thanksgiving Dinner event chair. “And for the people that are alone, they get to see a smiling face, it’s something exciting.”
· In Rochester, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 92 donated $2,000 in Hy-Vee food vouchers for veterans in need.
New Hampshire
In Hillsborough, NH, Young & Richardson Post 59 is sponsoring a free Thanksgiving dinner for anyone in the community.
New Jersey
In West Milford, American Legion Post 289 is providing a meal for anyone who doesn’t have anywhere else to go that day.
North Carolina
In Brevard, American Legion Post 88 is deep-frying turkeys to donate to the nonprofit Bread of Life, which will distribute them to area families. Last year the post prepared more than 40 turkeys.
Ohio
· In Scio, American Legion Post 482 is providing a free dine-in or carryout Thanksgiving dinner to anyone in the community.
· In Mount Sterling, American Legion Post 417 and the Mount Sterling Ohio Chamber of Commerce are staging a free community Thanksgiving dinner at the post and will also deliver meals within one mile of the village limits.
Oklahoma
In Guthrie, Lebron Post 58’s American Legion Family donated 10 Thanksgiving dinner baskets to one family from each school in Guthrie as well as a few veterans and family members.
Pennsylvania
· In Latrobe, Unity Township Post 982 hosted a Thanksgiving food drive with other entities to provide food boxes for all veterans in the area.
· In New Hope, American Legion Post 79 joined with others to assist the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Organization Thrift Store in providing 51 military families with a Thanksgiving meal, thanks to the collective efforts of our extended community.
· In Harrisburg, Steelton American Legion Post 420 partnered with the nonprofit Hope 4 You for its annual Thanksgiving food drive for local families in need.
South Dakota
In Bullhead, Rock Creek American Legion Post 324 teamed with the Rock Creek District for a free community Thanksgiving meal at Rock Creek Grant School.
Texas
· In San Antonio, Fred Brock Post No 828’s American Legion Family prepared 30 food boxes with complete meals for distribution to Booker T. Washington Elementary, Martin Luther King Jr. Academy and Essence Preparatory.
· In San Antonio, American Legion Post 579 is providing 45 families with free Thanksgiving dinners from the post. Thank you to all that have made this possible.
· In Houston, American Legion Post 578 hosted its annual free Thanksgiving lunch for the community.
Virginia
· In Newport News, Braxton-Perkins Post 25 has invited active-duty military and veterans to the post for a free Thanksgiving dinner.
· In Warrenton, American Legion Post 360 provided free Thanksgiving meals to those in need in the community.
Washington, D.C.
Members of American Legion Post 46 donated turkeys to homeless and at-risk veterans in the area.
Wisconsin
· In Marshfield, Post 54 is offering a free Marshfield Community Thanksgiving dinner for takeout on Thanksgiving Day.
· In Wausau, American Legion Post 10’s Veterans and Widows Program again will provide Thanksgiving meals to veterans in the community, as well as the widows of veterans. The post has delivered more than 6,100 meals through the program in the past four years.
- Community