When threatened by severe regional flooding in March, the VFW Department of West Virginia called on local Posts to assist neighboring communities in need.
Following a declared state of emergency for 18 counties by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on March 4, Dept. Commander David Moske issued a memo that prompted local Posts to join the flood relief efforts.
From left: Department of West Virginia Commander David Moske, Post 3522 Commander Joe Creager and National VFW Commander-in-Chief Hal Roesch II during the Post’s 75th anniversary celebration in Charles Town on March 5. Photo courtesy of Joe Creager.In a matter of days, a network of several dozen Posts assembled to begin collecting supplies and donations from their respective communities, which were then shipped to Department headquarters in Charleston, W. Va., for distribution.
Among the network of Posts joining the flood relief efforts stood Post 3522 in Charles Town, about 322 miles northeast of Charleston.
Led by commander Joe Creager, the Post and its Auxiliary raised about $1,000 worth of cleaning supplies, as well as $400 through the Amazon Smile program, which benefits the VFW National Home for Children.
“It was a collective effort by our Post members and the Auxiliary, who set up the Amazon Smile account,” Creager said. “Our community was also very helpful. We’ve got a good working relationship with the county, and they have always been there for us like we have been there for them.”
Through local in-person donations as well as through Amazon, the Post collected supplies in bulk, which included everything from hand sanitizers to gloves, bottled water, personal hygiene kits, trash bags, soap, detergents and shelf-stable food.
Creager added that although the goal was to ship all of their donations to headquarters in Charleston, the network of Posts decided to also keep a small stockpile of supplies for future emergencies.
Among the 15 Posts that comprise District 4 in West Virginia, Post 3522 was one of many recognized for its flood relief efforts by VFW National Commander-in-Chief Hal Roesch II.