American Legion Post 295
Harvey D Johnson American Legion has been a Northfield icon since 1941. It is a meeting place for Veterans, Community, Families, and local outreach volunteers. The Legion Post is committed to helping the Veterans in the Southern NJ area. Covid restrictions have prevented the Post from earning its only source of income via public rentals. During this time, the post replaced an aged and leaking roof, upgraded the building to meet Fire Department codes, and still pay utilities and insurance overhead costs. The combined expenses have completely drained all financial resources and reserves.
Despite the lack of income, once the pandemic restrictions were lifted, the Post has still allowed local civic groups to meet, such as Northfield Mothers League , Northfield Democratic Club , and Patriot Riders of America , to name a few. The Post has hosted 18 American Red Cross Blood Drives so far in 2021 with 12 more scheduled before the end of the year.
What we have not been able to do is provide funding to support the many veteran support activities we would prefer to support. For example, last year we donated $1500 to the Atlantic County Food Bank, $1500 to Meadowview Nursing Home for veteran programs. We had previously donated food, storage shelving and other supplies to ENPHRONT (the homeless veterans transitional housing facility in Atlantic City), and to the VA Clinic in Northfield for distribution to veteran patients with a financial need.
Our Post Crashers use grant monies to continue their garden and meal programs so they act independently from the post (from financial perspective), while using the post building and property to support their activities. The Post Crashers have a financially independent program that utilizes the Post building and property. They use grant funding to grow a community garden which provides hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to local Veterans with food insecurity. Excess produce from the gardens is donated to the Atlantic County Food Bank. They also create "Meals in a Bag" for Veterans living in the ENPHRONT facility, and include all ingredients to make a healthy, home-cooked meal.
We are seeking short term financial support to help us recover from the past year. The roof replacement far exceeded the amount the Post had saved. A generous Veteran Member co-financed the remaining cost of the new roof, and payments have increased the overheard costs of the Legion. Even small donations will help us rebound and get back to where we would like to be. All donations are tax deductible, Harvey D. Johnson American Legion Post 295 is a 501(c)19 organization. EIN 22-6099018
The American Legion Post is available for rental for parties, gatherings, fundraisers, baby showers, weddings, etc. It holds 100 people and has a full kitchen, two bathrooms, and is completely handicapped accessible and fully ADA compliant. For rental information, please contact Mark Doherty, Commander, American Legion Post 295.
