Everyone needs a helping hand every now and then — especially so that hand can reach out to help others.
Mike Nardone, owner of The Surf bar and grill, 650 N. U.S. Highway 27, recently opened its doors to American Legion Post 357 as a temporary home for meetings and fundraisers. The restaurant is available for the 30-member veterans group on Mondays and Tuesdays.
“We wanted to help them out until they find their own place and we are doing what we can,” said Nardone, whose grandfather, Anthony “Sarge” Giannetti, was a World War II veteran and American Legion commander in Boston for many years and a former Legionnaire of the year there. Nardone opened his restaurant about two years ago and has live entertainment most nights.
Legion Commander Jim “Dusty” Douglas, 59, a retired Air Force master sergeant from Orlando, said he and those from the area, including many from the nearby American Legion Post #55 in Clermont that was destroyed in a fire and has yet to rebuild, are grateful for Nardone’s generous spirit.
Since May, Nardone has fed more than 700 area residents who are homeless, elderly or are disabled veterans at no charge from 1 to 4 p.m. each Tuesday. That coincides with post 357’s counseling services for area vets in need with an added focus on women veterans as they transition to civilian life.
“He has a special place in his heart for the Legion and also extends in giving back to the community,” said Douglas, who has been a legionnaire, alongside his wife, Shirley Douglas, a retired Air Force veteran, for 27 years. “He was a godsend to donate his business. That rarely happens anymore.”
Douglas hopes that having such a welcoming home base at The Surf will help the post grow so it can contribute more to the community and for area veterans in need.
“We want to get back to the basics of taking care of veterans and their families,” he said of the post, which has been in existence for about four years.
Last year, the post sponsored a local Babe Ruth baseball team, sent five south Lake high-school students to educational programs in Tallahassee and for the fourth consecutive year delivered Christmas stockings to area vets at assisted-living facilities — this year more than 150. Some members have also recently begun a program to help vets who have had minor brushes with the law.
“We will be working with the Lake County court system to help veterans that have had a misdemeanor and are wishing to avoid jail time by doing community service and going through counseling sessions. We will be mentors to those in the program.”
The post’s main fundraiser will be bingo at The Surf at 1 p.m. Mondays.
“Our vision and goal is to provide a place that resembles a ‘base’ recreation center or a USO facility. We want vets and their families to come in and do computer work, read, watch TV, meet with our service officers, receive counseling on their VA benefits and play games in an environment where they feel comfortable and welcome among their comrades,” Douglas said.
Meetings are held at 7 p.m. Tuesday and new members are welcome. For more information, call 352-874-6591.