Auxiliary Corner - March 2026

Hello Everyone! March is officially here, and with it, hopes of an early spring! It is a busy season of growth for our Auxiliary, both in our membership numbers and our community impact. As we transition from the winter thaw, we have plenty to celebrate and even more to look forward to.

February Rewind: Love & Laughter

The Valentine’s Day Dinner was a wonderful success! A huge thank you goes out to Big Dan and his kitchen crew for the incredible prime rib dinner—it was truly delicious. It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying some much-needed downtime, dancing the night away, and catching up with friends. Also, a special shout-out to Jenna for keeping the spirits high with those yummy mimosas! As of this writing, we are gearing up for our Paint & Sip this Saturday, February 28th. We can’t wait to see the masterpieces our members create!

**Some Upcoming March Events **

Mark your calendars—it’s going to be a packed month:

  • March 17th: St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Big Dan is at it again! Get ready for a traditional Corned Beef Dinner. Come get your green on and enjoy the best meal in town.

  • March 21st: Legion Family Birthday Dinner After the whirlwind year we’ve all had, this celebration is sure to be eventful. Let’s come together to honor our history and our future.

Operation Full Plate

We finally have names to begin this vital program! We are in the final stages of planning and aim to launch in March, provided all goes well. This is a huge step forward in supporting our community.

Membership & Volunteerism

  • Strength in Numbers: Our membership continues to flourish! We are currently at 98% paid membership. Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission.
  • Reporting Success: Our latest round of reporting has concluded, with just under 3,300 hours submitted to be sent to Congress. This data is crucial for showing the impact of the American Legion Auxiliary.

Don’t forget to turn in your volunteer hours! So many of your daily acts of service can be claimed on your volunteer sheets. If you aren’t sure if an activity counts, please ask—every hour helps us advocate for our veterans!

Did you know that the estimated value of a single volunteer hour has risen to $34.79? When we track our hours, we aren’t just counting minutes; we are quantifying a massive economic impact.

The nominating committee has been busy contacting members about our upcoming elections in May. All nominations are due at the April meeting with voting in May. If you would like to run for an office please reach out to our committee or any Auxiliary leadership.

We want to extend a huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who steps up to volunteer at our Friday Bingo Concession.  We understand there has been some concern with our updated hours for the kitchen. We would like to share the reasoning behind the decision to adjust our auxiliary kitchen concessions hours, now closing at 7:00 PM.

Quality and freshness are important for our service. Every Friday, our team begins preparations in the late morning to ensure that all food served is prepared fresh that day. We open our doors at 3:30 PM to welcome our early bingo patrons and continue service throughout the afternoon.

Our observations have shown that food purchases consistently cease once bingo officially begins at 7:00 PM. In the past, we attempted to prepare additional batches of food later in the evening to maintain availability; however, this frequently resulted in significant amounts of high-quality food being discarded due to a lack of sales. 

As an organization, we do not like to waste food, nor is it sustainable to do so. This decision was not made lightly; we carefully monitored sales trends and patron availability over an extended period before implementing this change.

A Friendly Tip: If you would like a snack for intermission, please make your purchases prior to 7:00 PM.

We sincerely appreciate your support. Without the revenue generated from the kitchen, the following programs and community contributions would simply not be possible.

Direct Veteran Support & Recognition

  • Veteran Outreach: Funding for the Veterans Day Dinner, Vietnam Wall event, and Honor Flight logistics.
  • Housing & Sustenance: Direct assistance for homeless women veterans at Guardian and Foreverly House, contributions to the Pantry, and helping veterans with whatever insecurity they are suffering
  • Emergency Assistance: Providing gift cards for food and gas to Sons-adopted families and our own Veteran Families during the Christmas season.

Youth & Community Programs

  • Education & Leadership: Sending local students to Girl State and providing essential scholarships to HF students.
  • Holiday Spirit: Hosting Breakfast with Santa, which includes gifts for children and $500 in community gift cards, as well as participating in our own Legion Family Halloween events.
  • Food Security: Ongoing support for the Food Program for Veterans and local food pantries.

Auxiliary & National Initiatives

  • Advocacy & Health: Supporting the Be the One Campaign, Women’s memorial in Washington DC, and the Auxiliary Arts Foundation.
  • Operational Excellence: Hosting luncheons and dinners for Legion Leadership, the upcoming Women Veteran Seminar, and managing our portion of necessary insurance costs.
  • Recognition: Celebrating milestones through the Birthday dinner Awards and providing decorations for various Legion family events.

These initiatives do not happen on their own. It takes a large team of Auxiliary members who work very hard and donate thousands of hours of their time to bring these programs to light. Our kitchen concessions are not just about food; they are the lifeline that allows us to be the successful, impactful organization our community relies on. Once again, we thank you to everyone that volunteers and donates to help us fulfill our mission.

We look forward to a productive Spring,

All the Best,

Julie Montello – Auxiliary President