SIDNEY — Sidney American Legion Post 217 raised over $5,000 this year to contribute to the American Legion Department of Ohio “Gifts for Yanks” program.

According to the Sidney post’s most recent newsletter, the funds were gathered as part of a Christmas Eve party jar collection from anonymous donors. The individual chairing the project was commander Rick Lunsford.

The American Legion Department of Ohio has been pooling funds from posts throughout Ohio since 1952. The funds raised are given to gift shops in Ohio’s VA Medical Centers, Ohio’s state hospitals, and outpatient clinics, where veterans who are patients may select from books and other gifts, as well as participate in other recreational activities that are funded by the “Gifts for Yanks” program.