To the editor:

Some the people of Barrington and Riverside may have noticed that representatives of the V.F.W. were not at the Shaw’s Markets (Barrington and Riverside) over the Memorial Day Weekend soliciting donations for “Buddy Poppies”.

Despite repeated requests, the management of each market would not accommodate the V.F.W. Post’s request to set up inside their foyers. Given the inclement weather and the fact that the average age of those soliciting is over 65, a decision was made (which I fully supported) to forego the only fund-raising event of the V.F.W. Post.

This is most unfortunate. Of the $3,535.65 raised Memorial Day weekend 2012, $2,000 goes to graduating senior students of Barrington High School and East Providence Senior High School ($1,000 each). Awards to the winners of the Post’s Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy contests plus dinner costs for their parents amounted to $332.

A donation to the local troop of Boy Scouts was $100 and Christmas gifts to the residents and patients of the Veterans’ Home and Veterans’ Hospital amounted to over $600. Oh yeah, and the post spent $220 on 2,000 “Buddy Poppies” which will be gathering dust somewhere!

Sadly, none of these donations will occur over the course the next year.

I guess it is easy to pay lip service to sacrifices made by veterans, but to actually do something that helps the veterans as well as the community appears to be too difficult.

In closing, I will say that, despite the inconvenience, I intend to do my marketing elsewhere.

Michael W. Tripp, USMC 1965-1969

Barrington