As the pandemic raged last year, anxiety and unemployment grew in the area. American Legion Post 347 stepped in to help.
In August 2020, the Legionnaires at the Lady Lake post organized a food drive to support a few local food banks. According to representatives, the group collected more than 8 tons of supplies and more than $5,000 in donations.
Post 347 is revisiting the idea after the popularity of last year’s event and the continued necessity. On Aug. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Legionnaires collected food and other items at Post 347, 699 W. Lady Lake Blvd. in Lady Lake.
“During the Pandemic, we knew the food banks needed a lot of food,” said Nancy White, public relations chairwoman for Post 347’s Auxiliary unit. “But food banks, especially during the summer, really need to fill their shelves.”
Helping the food banks is a community endeavor, according to White.
White, of the Village of Ashland, stated, “They need all the food they can get.”
Legionnaires amassed a diverse collection of goods including pastas, canned goods, cereals, coffee, gravy, cake mixes, spaghetti and tomato sauces, cookies, crackers, diapers, new clothing, baby snacks, dish and laundry detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste and towels.
Post 347 also took monetary donations, according to White.
All members of the Legion’s “family,” including veterans, Auxiliary members, Sons of the American Legion and the Legion Rider, took part.
“It’s very important for us to help and aid our local food banks,” said Post 347 Commander Joan Suelter, a resident of the Village of Gilchrist. “When you bring together the enormous amount of energy from our volunteers (and) give them a mission, they become unstoppable.”
Food drives are crucial to filling the food insecurity gap, according to Thomas Mantz, president and CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay, a regional organization that coordinates the provision of resources to food pantries in 10 Central Florida counties, including Sumter County.
According to Feeding Tampa Bay, 22,000 people in Sumter County are food insecure, which means they can’t get enough food for three meals a day or can’t get better food, according to Mentz.
“If the one meal you get today comes from a food drive, then food drives are really important,” Mantz said. He went on to say that he passionately believes in the principle of neighbors supporting neighbors.
“If COVID taught us anything, (it’s that this) became more important because almost everyone knew someone who had been affected by COVID,” Mantz said. “If you gave to a food drive, there’s a good chance that it wound upon the table of someone you knew.”
The American Legion emphasizes four “pillars” that serve as the foundation for its service and advocacy. Veterans’ affairs and rehabilitation, national security, patriotism, and children and youth are among them.
The food drive, according to Suelter, is a “great example” of how Post 347 carries out that objective.
“The need in our community is great. It breaks my heart to know that there are children that go to bed at night hungry. We should all be outraged,” she added. “By making sure they are fed and taken care of, veterans continue to serve their communities.”
Suelter went on to say that the food drive is exciting because it harnesses the strength of The Villages’ different clubs.
“The participation last year from the different Villages clubs was overwhelming,” she said.
Suelter said she was once questioned by a former district commander if the post would be missed by the broader community if it closed.
“I can honestly say absolutely,” she said. “Giving back to our community, providing means and support is paramount for the American Legion – especially Veterans Memorial Post 347.”