MARQUETTE — For those looking to support local veterans and military personnel, there are a number of ways to do so at an upcoming event.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary to Post 3165 in Negaunee will be holding a craft show, soup luncheon and annual membership drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Negaunee Township Hall.

The event will give attendees a chance to learn more about joining the VFW Post 3165 and its auxiliary post, as well as an opportunity to shop homemade baked goods, Finnish crafts, jewelry and many other items, with all procedes going to programs that support veterans and their families.

Homemade soups, along with, bread, salad and desserts will also be available for attendees to enjoy for a $5 suggested donation.

One major aim of the event is to encourage eligible parties — which include those over 16 who are close relatives of persons who are or were eligible to join the VFW — to join the VFW Auxiliary to Post 3165 in “making a difference in the lives of Negaunee veterans, active-duty military and their families,” organizers said.

“It’s a wonderful organization,” VFW Auxiliary to Post 3165 President Scott Collins said in an interview. “Once you get in there, you help veterans in need. We preserve our nation’s patriotic traditions and we educate the youth, those are our goals.”

It’s important to join the auxiliary, he said, as the auxiliary does a wide variety of activities to support veterans, active-duty military and their families, as well as community projects, and is in need of more members to further its mission.

“We need to raise money to support these programs,” Collins said. “It’s all doable, but we need more people to help.”

Those who join the auxiliary will have a chance to participate in many activities to raise funds for the VFW Post and support VFW members and families. A few examples include fundraising events such as spaghetti dinners and wine tastings; volunteering at the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans and the Oscar G. Johnson Memorial Hospital; hosting picnics, parties and other events for children of VFW members; raising funds and providing scholarship opportunities; education on Americanism and patriotism; legislative outreach; and much more, Collins said.

“The Auxiliary provides members an opportunity to honor and give back to all who have served, and who are serving, this great nation. It’s our chance to say ‘thank you’ to them for their sacrifice,” Collins said in a press release.

Joining the auxiliary, which is $25 for the first year and $20 for every year following, comes with a number of benefits for members, such as discounted policies for life, health, accident, long-term care and dental insurance; cancer grants, access to local discounts and much more, he said.

There are also some priceless personal benefits that come with joining the VFW Auxiliary, he said.

“You make friendships and you feel the personal fulfillment of volunteering and then you acquire skills; if you show up and help, you’ll learn how to cook or change a lightbulb,” Collins said. “If you hang around people who are fixing and doing things, you’ll learn.”

For those who wish to join the VFW or the VFW Auxiliary, a DD-214 form showing proof of service or a relative’s service, respectively, are required. However, those manning the booths at the event will be there to help if an individual doesn’t know where to find or how to obtain their DD-214 documentation, Collins said.

To learn more about the information session, the VFW Auxiliary or its service projects, contact Collins 906-401-0453 or visit the VFW 3165 Auxiliary on Facebook. The VFW 3165 Post is located at 208 Gold St., Negaunee.

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal.net.