Local VFW Post Selling Tee Shirts to Support Membership

The V, the post, the VFW or just the local watering hole - whatever you call it, membership is down and Posts everywhere are struggling. Struggling bad. Post 1307, where I’m a member, is actually up for sale. No kidding! The building the Post leases is for sale. How can this be happening with so many younger vets returning home and still more yet to come? What can we do to help stop this epidemic? Post 5788 in Lockport, IL has really taken on the challenge of bringing in younger vets; and in fact, they are using their Post as a retail store to showcase the graphic tees they sell. Any post with a little ambition and a little money can get started in wholesale retail. Selling tee shirts for this Post was natural since one of the members is a fulfillment specialist at Grunt Style. He brought the idea up to the post Commander who after looking at the shirts was immediately sold on the idea. In January they started out with a small order, to test the waters, but in just two months have purchased over $2200 worth of shirts and are selling out… fast. Since their first order, the Post has sold out of the shirts a couple of times and are placing orders for new stock regularly. So far the money they’ve made, over $2500, has gone directly back into the Post. Post 5788 is putting the money toward a great cause. A portion of the profits are going toward their Veterans Assistance fund and the other in the facility maintenance fund.

Helping out vets is what the VFW is all about. The easiest thing is to just get out there and support your Post. If you’re not a member, sign up. It’s easy and usually only requires a $40 annual due. Cheap, right? And it’s definitely worth it. Being a member doesn’t only mean cheap drinks at the Canteen, it’s about helping vets connect with other vets who share similar stories. The VFW is a place to go and hang and build camaraderie. In 5788, the tee shirts they sell allow the members to show off their individual pride - whether it be in the form of a tee shirt with their branch on it, or simply wearing a shirt with the words vet-er-an on it. Post 5788 is providing the members with a tangible outlet for displaying military pride on their backs. This may not be the cure-all for every post; they all have their challenges, but this can be a great tool to generate income. I’m not the only one who hears it, I have friends and colleagues who frequent their local Posts and the story is always the same: the Post is struggling. Adding a retail outlet in the VFW you’re a member at could help be the springboard to getting back in the black. Post 5788’s retail shop is operating in the black, and the money they’ve made is going to support great causes. Get off your couch, turn off the idiot-box and get out there. Your Post needs you, so they can continue supporting other veterans.