By Dan Harr
From its inception, the Ron Asby North Cobb American Legion Post 304 in Acworth, Georgia, was called “The Little Post That Could”. The label was given based on its ability to help make changes to veterans lives in the community nearby which include the towns of Acworth and Kennesaw in Northwest Georgia.
Over two consecutive weekends in October, the Little Post that Could became “The Little Post That Did” when it worked to send over 40,000 pounds of relief goods to Hurricane Helene victims in both South Georgia and North Carolina. Working together in partnership with another local charity organization, the 9/11 Memorial Ride Foundation, members of Post 304 and its family gathered relief items in the Post’s Assembly Hall and loaded the trucks which headed out on October 5th and October 12th.
Relief items including water, clothing, medical supplies, canned food and cleaning products were delivered to multiple locations where it was most needed by families who suffered catastrophic loss as a result of Hurricane Helene. The materials were dropped at distribution centers where they were loaded onto trucks, helicopters and even mules and then sent out to those without power and water in the hills and mountains surrounding Asheville, NC.
I had the honor of driving one of the trucks two times to North Carolina, where I was able to witness the destruction that had been wreaked by the Hurricane and meet some of the victims and hear their stories of tragedy and loss. Seeing how our Post was making even a small difference in the lives of those families made me proud to be a member of the American Legion.
What made this experience even better was seeing how the Post members, along with the surrounding community, came together to provide this emergency help when it was needed the most. Deliveries of goods kept arriving at the Legion Hall after we sent out announcements on social media and attended several local business group meetings. Members of the Legion family and local non-members rallied to help our Post change its nickname as we worked to assist those who needed help outside of our local area.
The motto of the Ron Asby North Cobb American Legion Post 304 is “Serving Those Who Served”. With this latest effort by the Post and its family members, we went above and beyond that motto and served an even greater community and will do it again when called to action. We are no longer “The Little Post that Could.” We are now the “Little Post that Did and Will Do So Again.”
