The American Legion
Department of Arizona
Emergency Response Team
October 20, 2020
At the request of Past Department Commander Domingo Bonilla, the Emergency Response Team was convened to discuss an appropriate response to COVID-19 pandemic. A conference call scheduled for
March 4, 2020, to discuss an appropriate response. In attendance were the following:
Ken Queen
Judi Beischel
Domingo Bonilla
John Moffitt
Chuck Treat
Dee Hoisington
Felice Wimbaugh-Tribue
Jesse Fernandez
Angel Juarez
Steve Aguirre
Glenn White
Bobbie Kimelton
Tina Ganados
Al Quintana
Ken McPherson
Marge Christianson
Brad Heck
Colleen Heck
Angel Juarez
Steve Aguirre
Weekly teleconferences were held weekly for 8 weeks to discuss possible actions to be taken to support
posts in the Department of Arizona and communities in need of assistance. The following initiatives
were achieved:
$15,000 donation to the Family Readiness Center of the National Guard to support families of deployed
service members. $5,000 from Department of Arizona, $2,500 from District 11, $2,500 from District 12.
Additional individual donations were also provided.
$7,000 donations were made to food pantries for St Mary’s Food Bank. 62 members of the Legion
Family (Legionnaires, Auxiliary, SONS and ALR) volunteered to support “Food for Vets” events at
Phoenix, Maryvale, Buckeye and Wickenburg.
American Legion Riders partnered with St. Mary’s Food bank to deliver food to 80 homebound Native
Americans on the Hopi Reservations. Their contributions were as follows: 6,210 lbs.in food weight,
$4,485 in food dollars, $350 cash/checks and $1605 in gift cards.
District 11 participated with a USDA food contractor to deliver 60,000 food boxes to organizations
serving individuals in need throughout the state of Arizona
Area A in cooperation with Department of Arizona donated $5,000 to the Southern Arizona Food Bank
to provide food for community members in need.
Post 65 in partnership with Legion Member Michelle Daniels (owner of All About Food LLC) partnered
with the Feed Phoenix Initiative to open their post kitchen to provide over 1000 meals prepared and
packed by Legion family members to provide food to individuals in need.
District 12 partnered with Herozona to sponsor COVID-19 testing in the community during July 2020.
The Department of Arizona is working with 15 individual posts throughout Arizona to provide sponsor
blood bank donation centers. To date 10 posts have sponsored events through the American Red Cross or through the Vitalant Centers.
Legionnaires in Arizona have also actively participated in Hurricane Response Teams in Louisiana and Texas through the efforts of FEMA and The American Red Cross.
Additional support has been provided to the Navajo Reservation in Chinle through support of the Arizona National Guard with requested supplies and equipment.
Respectfully Submitted
Bobbie Kimelton
Acting Chair