Abe Lincoln American Legion Post 444 is mobilizing for the holiday season again this year, mustering food, toys and merriment for those in their community. Among other activities and services, Legion members have been doing their part to advance two major charitable partnerships, “Operation Full Pack” and Toys for Tots.
Richard Begle, adjutant for Post 444, noted that Operation Full Pack is a new addition to the Legion’s annual calendar. Stared in June of this year by the Tri-State Food Bank, Operation Full Pack is aimed at helping supply veterans across the region with hearty meals this holiday season. The Dale Legion is serving as a local distribution hub, along with Bloomfield Wesley Chapel in Chrisney.
The Tri-State Food Bank sends pallets full of non-perishable goods to the church, where local volunteers work on an assembly line filling 30-pound boxes for distribution. These are then sent to Post 444, where members see them off to all participating veterans in the county.
These boxes are free to any veteran in Spencer County, with no need to prove financial hardship. Any veteran in need of a little help this holiday season can call the Abe Lincoln American Legion Post at (812) 937-4025.
Legion members are also committed to the younger members of the community as well. The annual Toys for Tots initiative is practically synonymous with military veterans, as it was founded in 1947 by reservist Major Bill Hendricks and is administered by the United States Marine Corps Reserve to this day. The Dale Legion’s local program is an annual favorite for many local members, particularly Dennis Medcalf, who could not be present for Legion activities late last week due to illness.
The Dale Legion’s Toys for Tots efforts are quickly nearing an important deadline, with toys due to be distributed December 17 in time for Christmas. For those unfamiliar, Toys for Tots gathers toys for local children who might otherwise have to make do with less than some of their peers. Toys are gathered by members throughout the holiday shopping season, usually by dropping them off at one of the iconic “Toys for Tots” boxes set up in or outside the Legion Hall.
“We filled it up till it was overflowing,” said Begle. “Basically the toys just show up.”
While the Legion members take point when it comes to gathering toys for the holidays, the Post tends to delegate the actual distribution to those who can make the best use of the available supplies. That is to say, the Legion works closely with local teachers, who know which of their students could use a little extra cheer around the holidays, as well as what might cater to their tastes.
The Legion has plenty of other services available for the community as well. Space is available for rent at the Post for various activities, including upcoming Christmas parties for emergency service members. This space is also regularly used by others in the community throughout the year. Celebrations of life for veterans in particular are commonly held at the Post, at no charge.
Post 444 also performs graveside services for fellow veterans throughout the year, as well as Memorial Day ceremonies at area cemeteries. Members also help oversee the retirement of aged flags that can no longer be displayed. They are also a common sight as color guards at the head of any major parade of note in the Dale area.
These activities are funded with several community activities, many of which have proven popular traditions in their own right. These include barbecue cook outs, turtle soup sales and other fundraisers.
Abe Lincoln American Legion Post 444 undertakes these and more initiatives in accordance with its constitution, “For God and Country we associate ourselves together… to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.”
Begle related the story, “Paid in Full,” in which a young boy attempts to extract more allowance from his mother in exchange for doing various chores, only to be reminded of all that is done for him by the family at no charge. Begle stressed that the Legion likewise observes its charitable activities as obligations undertaken willingly in the in the mutual interest of their fellow comrades and their wider community, a relationship without the need for transactional value.
