POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Every Wednesday, the kitchen at Miles S. Epling American Legion Post 23 becomes a gathering place for volunteers united by a common purpose: helping individuals experiencing homelessness and others facing food insecurity in the Point Pleasant area.
Members of the American Legion Family and community volunteers are working together to prepare, package and distribute meals to those in need, demonstrating that the organization’s commitment to service extends well beyond veterans and the walls of the post.
The outreach initiative, organized through the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 23 Community Service Committee, brings together Legionnaires, Auxiliary members and community supporters who share a desire to make a positive difference.
What began as an effort to provide warm meals has developed into an ongoing mission centered on compassion, dignity and community involvement.
More Than a Meal
Each Wednesday, volunteers gather to prepare meals ranging from spaghetti dinners and homemade vegetable soup to hot dogs and traditional home-cooked favorites. Meals are packaged with side dishes, snacks, fruit and beverages before being delivered throughout the community.
While providing food is the immediate goal, volunteers say the outreach is about something much greater.
During their deliveries, volunteers have encountered individuals facing a variety of hardships, including homelessness, unemployment and financial difficulties.
Among those they have met is a homeless veteran who later secured an apartment where he could live with his dog. Volunteers have also spoken with an individual preparing to begin a new job and encountered a mother seeking food for herself and her children.
During a recent outreach, a young man was so hungry that he began drinking his vegetable soup before finding a place to sit down.
Experiences such as these serve as reminders that food insecurity affects people from all walks of life and that even a simple act of kindness can have a meaningful impact.
The volunteers approach each individual with dignity and respect, recognizing that the circumstances leading to homelessness or financial hardship are often complex and not always visible to others.
The American Legion Family in Action
The outreach is supported by a dedicated group of individuals, including Karen Woods, Michael Woods, Edie Legg, Mike Rose, Jersey Daly, Linda Midkiff, Ed Midkiff and Dave Morgan, along with other volunteers and community supporters who contribute their time, supplies and assistance.
Each volunteer plays an important role in making the outreach possible, whether through meal preparation, packaging, delivery, donations or behind-the-scenes support.
The kitchen at Miles S. Epling American Legion Post 23 serves as the preparation location, providing volunteers with a place to work together before distributing meals.
For some participants, volunteering also requires considerable travel. Karen and Michael Woods, both veterans and members of the Legion Family, travel approximately an hour each way to participate in the outreach.
Their involvement reflects a broader belief that service to others should not be limited by geographical boundaries.
The effort also demonstrates the importance of cooperation among the different branches of the American Legion Family, whose shared commitment to veterans, families and communities provides opportunities for meaningful service.
Community Support Makes the Mission Possible
Donations of food, beverages, snacks and meal preparation supplies play an important role in sustaining the outreach.
Volunteers welcome contributions of canned vegetables, pasta, canned meats, fruit cups, pudding cups, bottled beverages and other nonperishable items.
Even the smallest donations can help provide a meal for someone in need.
Community members who are unable to donate supplies can also contribute by helping prepare meals, packaging food or assisting with outreach activities.
The program illustrates how community involvement and volunteerism can come together to address an ongoing local need.
Continuing a Legacy of Service
For generations, the American Legion Family has supported veterans, military families, children and communities through charitable programs, volunteer efforts and public service.
The homeless outreach initiative at Post 23 continues that tradition by extending a helping hand to individuals facing some of life’s most difficult circumstances.
Although a weekly meal cannot eliminate homelessness or solve every challenge facing those in need, it can provide nourishment, encouragement and an opportunity for human connection.
The volunteers hope their efforts will inspire other American Legion posts, Auxiliary units, Sons of The American Legion squadrons and American Legion Riders chapters to consider similar outreach opportunities within their communities.
The program demonstrates that meaningful service does not necessarily require a large organization or extensive resources. It begins with individuals willing to contribute their time, work together and recognize the needs of others.
At Miles S. Epling American Legion Post 23, that commitment is being demonstrated through a simple but meaningful tradition: gathering each Wednesday to prepare meals and extend compassion to neighbors in need.
For the volunteers, the message behind the outreach remains clear.
No person or organization accomplishes the mission alone. Through cooperation, compassion and a shared commitment to service, the American Legion Family can continue making a difference, one meal and one act of kindness at a time.
No One Left Behind.
