Wanted: 50 veterans for free lunch in West Dundee

Fifty veterans.

That's who the Dundee Township Rotary Club is looking to serve lunch to on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The number may not seem impossible, but Rotary member Mary Stanley said finding 50 veterans to who want a free lunch is a chore.

"I went to the Village Green (senior citizens' housing complex) in Elgin and East Dundee, area churches and the armed forces recruiting office in Carpentersville, asking for the names of veterans to invite," she said. "I have been to VFW and American Legion posts. Each place, I get a couple of names.

"I never thought it was going to be this difficult."

There's nothing magic about the number 50. In fact, more are welcome, but last year Rotary members served meals to 48 veterans at their annual Veterans Day lunch. Two more would be quite an accomplishment, she said.

The lunch is free and will be served at the Tri-Cities Evergreen VFW Post at 117 First St. in West Dundee. When serving starts at noon, veterans and their families will be honored for their service in wars that reach back into the 1940s.

"This is the club's way of honoring the veterans in our area," Stanley said. "The problem we have found is there is no one place that has all the name of local veterans."

Many veterans in the last decade are not joining local VFWs when they return from services.

"I'm sure we'll find 50 veterans, but it will be difficult," Stanley said.

Along with the main course, a cake will be served for dessert. It will commemorate the Nov. 10, 1775 birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.

"We'll have the oldest Marine in the room cut the cake with a sword and serve it to the youngest Marine," she said. "That's the tradition."

The speaker for the luncheon will be Michael Woods, president of A Warriors Mind, a not-for-profit organization designed to rebuild the veteran community through events by showcasing veteran entrepreneurs, helping individual families, and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

"We want to connect with other veteran nonprofits that are fighting the good fight, so we can work together in the battle against the 22 veteran suicides taking place every day," Woods told Rotary club members. "As former service members, we know it is a tough road sometimes and you don't have to go it alone."

To help Rotary club members reach their goal and serve as many veterans as possible, call Stanley at (847) 980-8083 for reservations.