EDGERTON An American Legion Post 205 fundraiser hosted at Buckys Lucky Bell on June 27 amassed nearly $17,000.
The annual event helps to financially fuel organizations that support veterans in need in Rock County. This year, it raised just over $4,000 for an organization thats new to providing veterans services: Edgerton Outreach.
Edgerton Outreach is a nonprofit social services agency that provides assistance programs including a food pantry, transitional housing and rent and utility aid.
The nonprofit received $4,010.50 in cash, checks and gift cards for tenants of Edgerton Outreachs Building Hope Apartments, that house previously homeless veterans. The apartment application process and the program itself prioritize women veterans.
We want to make sure that we can get somebody back on their feet and reduce these barriers so they can be successful, the nonprofits Executive Director Sarah Williams said.
Now, all six units of the West Fulton Street apartments are occupied, with half the units housing at least one woman. Tenants range in age from 28 to 83.
One former tenant successfully saved and bought a home while staying in one of the units, and subsequently moved out.
The organization has not yet distributed the funds, though Williams said in the coming weeks, case managers will conduct interviews with each tenant or family to determine how the funds can be used to address the full gamut of their needs.
We can meet each family we serve, where theyre at, she said. Theres a lot of federal programs where its hard and fast. If you make $2 over the limit youre not getting served. We dont have that.
Williams said rent and utility assistance needs comes first. The nonprofit will follow its existing guidelines, providing up to $400 to cover electricity bills and up to one month of free rent.
Instead of using a United Way grant to provide energy assistance, we can use it with a special fund, so that we can help more families with the unrestricted dollars that arent veteran specific, Williams said.
Donors also gave diapers, linen and other household items at the fundraiser, aligning with the organizations focus on families, Post 205 Historian William Beil said.
The Legion collected cash, checks, Woodmans gift cards and food and household supplies, totaling an estimated $16,841, according to Beil.
The Legion split the total cash and check proceeds almost equally, keeping $3,810.50 for the post to support programs it sponsors such as Badger Boys and Girls, a summer leadership and government program in Wisconsin for rising high school seniors.
The Legion gave over $5,000 in food donations from the fundraiser to their primary beneficiary of past years, Rock Valley Community Programs.
The fundraiser raised over $15,000 in cash and item donations the last several years. Beil is glad to see that tradition continue with a new beneficiary.
Edgerton Outreach is on board for as long as were here, he said. And theyre really happy.
The nonprofit also received a pallet of vegetables donated by Seneca foods, which Director of Community Relations for the nonprofit Ray Oswald said will be used at their food pantry.
Well use that to augment our services for other veterans in the community, Oswald said.