ALBANY COUNTY — Three local veteran service organizations were among the 10 to receive a total of $150,000 in grants announced by Albany County in a press conference on Friday morning.

The American Legion Helderberg Post 977 and the Boyd Hilton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7062 — both in Altamont — along with the Voorheesville American Legion Post 1493 each received $15,000.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars formed in 1898 after the Spanish-American War and the American Legion was created after World War I. 

James Gaige, commander of the Helderberg Post, said the $15,000 grant will go towards reroofing the legion hall. “We need a new roof on our building,” he said.

Gaige, whose father was the first commander of the post, said, “We’ve been serving veterans and the community for 100 years.” Celebrations of the post’s centennial will be ongoing throughout the year, he said.

Gaige joined the United States Army after graduating from Guilderland High School in 1972; he served for three years during the Vietnam War. After 15 years in the Army, Gaige joined the Navy Seabees Reserves, serving 21 years.

Jeff Orsini, commander of the Boyd Hilton VFW Post in Altamont responded in an email to The Enterprise inquiry about how the post would spend its $15,000 grant, saying, “We intend to use the grant funds to expand and repair our parking lot and refurbish our front entrance steps and handrails.”

Justin Pincheon, the first vice commander of the Voorheesville American Legion who also serves as corporation president in charge of maintenance, said $9,000 of the grant money will go to a veteran-owned stone masonry business in Greenville that will shore up the foundation of the legion hall.

“We have elbow-sized holes,” he said. 

The legion hall, built in 1908 as a Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, serves as a community meeting space.

Pincheon, who served with the United States Marine Corps, said the remainder of the grant money will go for a ductless heat pump that will save on using the gas furnace in the winter and keep the bar area cooled in the summer, which he said will be “a luxury on Memorial Day.”

“We need to stabilize the building to keep providing things for the public,” Pincheon said.

“Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion halls are community hubs where veterans can come together to share their experiences and support one another,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy in a release, announcing the grants.

“They serve as critical support systems where veterans can receive services, financial assistance, mental health services, and can engage in civic activities,” McCoy went on. “Investing in these organizations is not just about honoring our commitment to veterans; it’s about strengthening the fabric of our communities.”

McCoy also announced a new pilot program, Heroes Homecoming, which will focus on assisting active-duty personnel transition from military to civilian life.

Albany County is partnering with the United States Department of Defense and the New York National Guard to identify recently discharged veterans and provide them with information about the benefits and services to which they are entitled.

This is a first-of-its-kind program in New York state, the release said, and has the potential to greatly improve the health and wellbeing of veterans.