The post I am about to describe has surpassed the "Be the One" motto. They are truly changing the lives of people around them in their community. Their work is nothing shy of amazing. Post Commander Joseph Mckinney and his team have done amazing things and continue to strengthen the community and create a legion morale that is second to none.

They started a community food pantry and food bank. The Yucca Community Food Pantry’s 501 (c)(3) was established in 2019 by our American Legion Auxiliary Chaplain Sandra Basye. The YCFP is run and operated by our Post’s Sergeant at Arms Terry Underhill. It was operating out of the Yucca Fire Department one day a week pre-COVID. When COVID-19 hit, the volunteers operated through the pandemic due to the increased needs of the community. From 2022-23 Legion members Wayne Basye (chaplain), Jerry Topping (adjutant) and Joe Tavernaris (member), along with other volunteers in the community built the new Yucca Community Food Pantry building within one year and opened its doors to the public in January 2023.

As of right now, the YCFP is opened two days a week, feeding approximately 300-500 families a week. The Legionnaires of Post 136 and Auxiliary members of Unit 136, in addition to members of the community, spend hundreds of hours a month volunteering at the local food pantry (YCFP). The Yucca Community Food Pantry is also in a partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank.

The American Legion Post 136’s Major Goals:
Our largest goal is to acquire land/property to build a Legion Hall/community center. The community and the youth of Yucca would benefit greatly from this goal. Also, a goal we always strive for is to fulfill the needs as they arise for veterans and the community alike. The American Legion Post 136 is always striving to improve and grow and to treat everyone as family. We believe, “Veterans are always stronger together.”