American Legion Members In Belleville Rally Up Donations For Holidays

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Sons of the American Legion, Belleville Squadron 105. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

After a month of collecting toys and clothing from the always generous Belleville community, the American Legion Post 105 Family distributed a room full of items days before Christmas to anyone who needed a little holiday help. After a day of people dropping by the Post to collect for themselves or others, what remained from the collection was donated to Saint Peter’s Church for distribution to their shelter programs.

Spearheaded by members of the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) interest group at Post 105, which is in the process of seeking a national charter, the collection began in late November and lasted all the way through the publicized pick-up day, December 23rd. Together with the Post Legionnaires and the Sons of the American Legion (SAL) Squadron, which comprise what’s commonly referred to as the American Legion Family, the toy and coat drive was widely promoted to benefit anyone in need, regardless of their relationship to veterans or what town they live in. The goal was just to help who we could help, which is the underlying message of the holiday season.

“If you see pictures of this, you will understand that the Sons of the Legion, the Legion, and the Auxiliary helped some of our brightest people today … our children”, stated MaryAnn Slaughter, who is the ALA interest group’s president. “It makes your heart warm when you know you are doing something for people without asking for anything. We did this today to make people happy.”

Throughout December, members and friends of the Post, as well as both friends and strangers from throughout the community, donated new and lightly used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, mittens, sweaters, and tables and tables full of brand new toys. The Post and the Sons both donated a few hundred dollars each to purchase items as well, filling up the entire hall with items to bring a little joy to those in need. Members put together stockings for the kids as well, plus gift bags which included things every kid will need for the cold weather. “I was floored by how much we had”, noted SAL Adjutant Rusty Myers. The majority of items collected were for kids younger than 10.

People dropped off everything under the sun – toys for babies, games, hoodies, new matching hats gloves and scarves, and even a brand new Coach pea coat for a little girl.

The Post doors opened at 9am on Friday the 23rd, and throughout the day folks dropped by to pick up what they needed, or for someone who they know was in need. This unbelievably successful event went on until around 5pm. One family that came by thanked those in the hall profusely for not limiting this to just families in Belleville … they from a neighboring town, and found out through the event published on the 105 Facebook page, which can be found on the platform at @BellevillePost105 or @SAL105NJ.

“This was amazing. We know how to do this better for next year, and we’re going to do this next year” stated another ALA charter member Erica Portee.

After it got dark and the doors were closed, members of the post family loaded up two pickup trucks with what was left over and took it to Saint Peter’s Catholic Church on William Street in Belleville. The church runs numerous outreach programs, both for the homeless and at local hospital children’s wards, so they were a perfect place to help find a home for the clothing and toys over the next few weeks. “We’re very appreciative of the Legion’s generosity during this Christmas season, and we thank you for your kindness” stated Ed Nejman, a volunteer who accepted the donation that night. “I’ve never seen an outpouring of generosity like this.”

This toy drive embodied not only the spirit of the season, but represented Post 105’s commitment to one of the original four pillars of the American Legion established in 1919 – a pledge to help our nation’s Children and Youth. As with everything that we do at Post 105 in Belleville, none of this would be possible without the ground swell of support which comes from the community. “We can’t describe how great this town is when we do things like this” said SAL Commander Steve Sangemino, who helped organize the event.

This event was on the heels of the Post’s donation in November’s of 23 baskets of food for families who needed a Thanksgiving dinner, with help from the Belleville School District and businesses on town.

The new tagline for the organization is “Veterans Straightening America”. This toy and coat drive, as a first real collaboration between Belleville’s American Legion veterans, the SAL’s Sons, and the Auxiliary’s spouses, moms, daughters and granddaughters of veterans, is a testament to the contribution the ‘Legion’ makes back to the community which supports it so much.

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