My American Legion Post 94 in Snow Hill, NC is in a financial jam and we’re looking for some assistance. We are a 501(c)(19) nonprofit serving veterans, their families, and our community in Greene County. We have an executive board that meets monthly, and our financial transactions are audited monthly as well.

The population of the county is 20,698 as of 2025, and the poverty rate (22.4%) is significantly higher than NC (14%) and the US (12%). Our declining Post membership is 80 members, and our building dates back to just after the Civil War. Post maintenance and upgrades are done through sweat equity and out-of-pocket contributions by board members.

Here’s our dilemma: Our 18-year-old HVAC system went south and the estimate for replacement is around $35,000, which we do not have nor does the county government. We've explored multiple grantors, including Historical Preservation sites, only to come up empty-handed. Currently, we have about $10,000 in the bank, and we pay our bills (electricity, water, sewage, and trash pickup) out of that money. We do not have a bar in our Post, nor do we want one. We have four fundraisers a year (BBQ chicken sales and pancake/sausage breakfasts). We net around $1,000 in each fundraiser. With income like that, any attempt to borrow the money from a financial institution would be futile.

At present, we are unable to use the Post for our meetings and have had to cancel community events because of the cold weather. Consequently, we have moved to a local restaurant to continue our work until a new HVAC system can be installed.