Community Service is a service that is performed for the benefit of the public, or it's institutions by the VFW or as a representative of the VFW.

 

Volunteering for Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, Hospice, VA Hospital  or any hospital, helping senior citizens, Suicide Hot Line, Battered Woman’s Shelters, helping in our schools or churches are just a few of the many things that qualify as Community Service. 

 

If you volunteer your time and talents, if you walk for the Heart Fund, Cancer Fund, March of Dimes or do anything that is a service to our Community, or any other worthy cause, please fill out this Community Service Report Form with your volunteer hours, monetary donations and miles and return it to Post 9853. 

 

Help the Post properly report our members Community Service Activities. Your assistance may also give our Post the opportunity to be considered for the “Excellence in Community Service Award.” You may report events singularly or by each month. 

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Posts should list the hours of community service performed by the Post or it's Auxiliary. Only hours benefiting the community are to be reported.

 

DO NOT report hours for:

• Buddy Poppy Distribution

• Post Fund Raisers

• Post maintenance or repairs

• Volunteers in Post canteen or kitchen (EXCEPTION: Can claim if work done in canteen or kitchen while hall is donated to outside service group of the VFW).

• VFW meetings, conventions, conferences, school of instructions, or OTI.

• Church activities that a member may do for 1 particular church and not the others in town. The service should benefit the entire community, not just a section of it. (Usher, Lecture, Minister, etc) Exceptions that would count for Church Activities would be to Speak at a church, Teach a Sunday School class, help with a church food bank.

 

Money/Donations are to be reported in the Exp or donation column: (Value is in dollar amounts, round to nearest dollar).

• Actual money expended from Post funds in support of community service projects.

•  Moneys donated or expended by Post members in performance of community service hours reported, and donations made in the name of the VFW.

• The rental value of Post Home or facilities used by community service organizations when no rent is charged.

 

DO NOT report:

• Donations made to the Post.

• Income to the Post.

• Proceeds from Buddy Poppy distribution.

• Any value to the hours reported.

 

Mileage posts should report the miles for use of volunteer's automobiles and Post owned vehicles on community service projects.  The value of the mileage should be calculated using the IRS authorized $0.14 per mile to and from the community service project.

 

DO NOT report:

• Any vehicle expense

• Mileage for vehicles owned by another organization such as DAV.

• Mileage if the volunteer has received reimbursement for that mileage.

 

DO NOT double report hours or money. Report only once in one section of the CSR.

 

ITEMS THAT CAN BE CLAIMED THAT SOME ARE NOT AWARE OF:

• If your post raises your flag daily (not ones that are lit and up all the time), you can claim 5 min to raise and 10 min to take down and fold.

• Recycling at their homes or at work, keep track of these hours.

• AAA offers a 55 alive class most of the time for free, you can ask them to come and give a class that you can then open to the public. This is giving back to the community by possibly saving lives.

• Gathering cloths from your closets or other family members, and taken to goodwill or homeless shelter.

• Visiting a nursing home to see a couple of it's residents for a while, read a book, talk about grandchildren, or just the good old' days.

• Sponsoring a fire safety class with your community. (Contact the local fire department, or police dept. for more details)

• Coaching a Sporting event, teaching a Sunday School Class

• Taking fellow veterans to a doctor appointment or simply help transport them around.

 

DO NOT: Claim a color guard detail, that is done for a VFW Member. (This is part of the duties of the Post) If it is for a veteran (not a VFW member, this can be counted). If you are getting paid for this service you cannot count it.