Commanders & Comrades,

Earlier today I met with representatives from the Departments of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to disseminate information on the process for requesting Disaster Relief Assistance. Over the course of the day, we here at National HQ dusted off our disaster relief tactics, techniques, and procedures to restart our support mechanisms. Similar to the disaster that occurred in Maui last year, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is going to take a long time to overcome. Reports from the American Red Cross is that they’re gearing up to provide aid in the Ashville, NC area for at least a year. Finally, I consulted with the Commander-in-Chief about our planned way ahead and he’s given me the green light to execute.

Soon you will be seeing our call to action over social media and on our national website in support of the affected areas. Please help us to direct all parties interested in providing financial assistance to aid in the recovery efforts to visit our secure site at www.vfw.org/reliefto make their tax-deductible donations. Feel free to broadcast the link to donate far and wide. For those who prefer to send in checks, that information is located at that link as well.

Lastly, the Department of North Carolina is working to identify Posts around the vicinity of the affected areas for food, clothing, and supplies to be sent for distribution. In these types of situations, water, toiletries, and sanitizers are always needed. Clothing and shoes run a close second. We will get that information out to you as soon as we obtain it. More to follow in that regard. For now, you can mail/ship items to

VFW Post 4542

1241 Pine Knoll Dr.

Spring Lake, NC 28390

Let’s do our best to remind our membership that to remain relevant in the veteran community, we must believe in what we do, and we do what we believe in."I’m not asking you to give until it hurts, I’m asking you to give until it feels good.” Al Lipphardt, CinC 2024-2025

Marc Garduno

Quartermaster General

VFW National Headquarters

406 W. 34^th Street

Kansas City, MO 64111

Direct: 816.968.1179

Fax: 816.968.1189

www.vfw.org