American Legion Post 175 Has A Productive Spring

Severna Park's American Legion Post 175 stayed busy this spring and took advantage of the recent pandemic shutdown by getting some important renovation, care package, and charity work accomplished.

"The Legion has gone through a tremendous remodeling and renovation project since March," said Ann Marie Peterson, community liaison for American Legion Post 175.

The work was mostly done by volunteers, with all workers being conscious of everyone's safety. Volunteers only worked a few members at a time, while keeping their appropriate distances from each other.

"What a magnificent makeover: new floors [and] ladies restroom, totally redone outdoors, refinished bar, and fresh paint top to bottom," said Peterson, adding that an open house is tentatively being scheduled during the Legion's next recruitment project.

"We replaced many of our older picnic tables," added Chris Jensen, post commander. "Moving into 2020, we plan to upgrade the beer lines and taps and replace the flooring in the lounge."

The American Legion was also busy with its charity work over the past few months. A collaboration of American Legionnaires, Sons of American Legion, and Auxiliary from Post 175 prepared and boxed up 17 care packages to ship to overseas troops. Over 40 youths from the Church of the Redeemer's choir in Baltimore worked with the Legion to collect and donate toiletries, snacks, and socks and make “thank you” cards for the servicemen and women. The boxes were sent in May to troops on the USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt and to Afghanistan.

"The church's director of youth ministries learned about the Legion's care package efforts from an article in the newspaper and contacted us directly to offer to help," recalled Peterson. "The community has been so supportive."

In addition, on June 16, officers of the Severna Park Sons of the American Legion presented a donation of $500 to Services from the Heart's Backpack Buddies program using funds the organization raised from its annual crab feast last fall through raffles, silent auctions, and door proceeds. Donna Wilson-Johnston, president of Services from the Heart, accepted the donation. Services from the Heart strives to address and reduce the impact of poverty on communities by providing weekly backpacks of food to children in need. Its Backpack Buddies program provides healthy, nutritional foods to underprivileged children who are nominated by their schools.

"The Sons of the American Legion wanted to give back and reach the disadvantaged children in our community," said Peterson.

As prior teachers, Peterson and others at the Legion were familiar with the Backpack Buddies program. “It's close to our hearts,” Peterson affirmed.