Church raises $14,685 to benefit Honor Flight

11/26/2013
BLADE STAFF

The men’s group at the Church of St. Andrew hoped a benefit breakfast would bring in a couple of thousand dollars in donations to send a few veterans to Washington via Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio, but the total announced Sunday at the church was a whopping $14,685.

“This is enough money to send 37 veterans on the trip of their dreams. It will fill more than half of the plane,” said Paul Wood in an email. He helped organize the fourth annual event at the church to support Honor Flight.

The church and Honor Flight “truly appreciate the way the community supported this event,” Mr. Wood said, noting contributions can still be made. Checks to Honor Flight can be sent to Church of St. Andrew, 3620 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo, OH, 43614.

There is a waiting list to take part in Honor Flight, a program dedicated to flying area veterans on all-expenses-paid trips to visit memorials in Washington. Unless donations picked up, Honor Flight planned to make two trips in 2014 rather than four.

With donations coming in, plans are changing for the number of flights.

In addition to funds raised at St. Andrew, Honor Flight recently received a $10,000 donation from an annual charity golf outing that was put together by employees at the J.M. Smucker Co. facility in Toledo.