Anheuser-Busch drops cash donations to local American Legion post, says it remains committed to supporting military
Leaders of a local veterans group are accusing Anheuser-Busch InBev of reneging on its promise to continue supporting the group.
Since World War II, Anheuser-Busch has been the chief patron of American Legion Post 299. The company supplied beer and space for meetings, as well as thousands of dollars in donations every year to the post. (The group’s membership is open to those who both served in the U.S. military and worked for A-B.)
Anheuser-Busch’s cash donations to Post 299 dried up this year. A-B’s contributions have helped Post 299 donate to needy children and to veterans over the years, and officers of the Legion post expected the tradition to continue. They say Anheuser-Busch managers told them in a meeting last November - just before InBev bought America’s biggest brewer - that the company would donate $20,000 to the post in 2009.
But in February, the company informed Post 299 it would not make its customary cash donation. Contacted this week, A-B said it is unaware of any discussions of 2009 funding before February. The company indicated it had no record of committing itself to making more cash donations to Post 299.
Anheuser-Busch has been a stalwart sponsor of Post 299 since 1940. Officers at the Post say that, for the last four or five years, Anheuser-Busch has given as much as $22,000 per year. That number included $15,000 in straight donations and $7,000 in an account to cover “free” beer for picnics, conventions and meetings.
A-B declined to discuss its amount of cash giving to Post 299. Nor did the company explain why it halted its customary cash donations to Post 299 this year. Anheuser-Busch said it continues to provide a meeting space for Post 299’s monthly meetings and free beer for special events, such as an upcoming picnic.
“We admire the good work of Post 299,” David A. Peacock, the company’s president, said in a statement. “There are many worthy organizations that request our support each year. We remain committed to supporting groups in ways big and small that are working to serve our community.”
Anheuser-Busch has a long history of supporting veterans and current armed forces. It provides funds for veterans and families of fallen soldiers, as well as free admission to military families at its theme parks. Earlier this month, the company was honored with the Secretary of Defense Outstanding Public Service Award, the second-highest citation the Department of Defense can award to private citizens for contributions, assistance or support.
A-B officials said they try to support as many groups as feasible. The targeted areas for A-B’s charitable giving include education, the environment, economic development, disaster preparedness and the military. “We evaluate each request and put the money where we feel it will be put to the best use in any given year,” Peacock said.
Post 299 veterans say their connection to Anheuser-Busch went beyond money. Longtime CEO August A. “Gussie” Busch Jr. was once a member. The post manned a rifle guard at his funeral and lays a wreath on his grave every Sept. 29 - the day of his death.
Here is the full story that appeared in today’s Post-Dispatch.
Reporter’s note: Please keep all comments on-topic and focused on the issues. Personal attacks are not cool, and Lager Heads will be obligated to delete comments that do not abide by the Post-Dispatch’s comments policy. Thanks.
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Jeremiah McWilliams is a native Virginian who came to the Post-Dispatch in early 2007 to cover beer and other consumer products. He previously covered manufacturing for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University. 
Think about it…why should a foreign company support our troops or veterans? Choose wisely when purchasing your next beer, it’s your only defense.
Another reason to drink Miller Lite,instead of Bud Lite.It’s hard to belived that Britto and his In-Vest Bev buddies can be taking on so many “nickle and dime” cutbacks that is causing so much damage to their image (and possible sales).How stupid can they be?.Thanks for keeping us inform on this.
The same management team all comitted to providing annual raises to the surviving employees and then renegged on that comittment. Absolutely nothing of any value will every come out of the InBev management team. They have no eithics. The NA Zone managers are all Stepford employees with no compassion whatsoever.
The $$ also helped support AB youth baseball in the City of St. Louis.
I can feel the love all the way from Belgium
These guys aren’t known for they’re generosity. Have you ever seen the poverty in Brazil?
Why is Saint Louis still supporting AB? By now eyes should be opened on the practices of this new management. There is no care for employee’s, and no care for the philanthropy that make A-B great. Drink Schlafly… the actual St. Louis Brewery. Get them big enough to employ more of St. Louis! Drink Kaldi’s coffee as well… keep the money in STL!
The less A&B has to do with the United States Armed Forces the better. As a Veteran I know for a fact that alcohol producers are attempting to spread the use of alcohol to our troops especially when based in the United States, Korea, and Germany. The last thing we need is more drunk young men and women in our Armed Forces. Drinking on base is common after duty hours as a matter of fact it is the only thing to do. On base clubs and bars are full daily with drinking military personnel. We need to sober up the Armed Forces not encourage more drunkness which is a problem especially around pay day. As far as veterans go they could stand to sober up also too much drinking gives veterans groups a low standing in our civic life.
Great. Another prohibitionist trolling a beer blog. Go back to Utah.
So a bunch of old guys are mad they don’t as much free beer anymore and now AB has no compassion? They still provide them meeting space and still give them beer at “special events”!
In general, corporate giving is way under-rated and certainly by AB (note the award mentioned in the article). Instead of complaining that they stopped a $20k annual donation, how about thanks for the last 68 years?
Talk about the perfect name…Mullarkey! If you would really like to reduce alcohol consumption, please stop entering comments on this site. I need a couple beers just to prep for your comments and a couple afterwards to make them go away! The beer military position is part of our national history…good, bad or indiffernet. Solders have been provide beer rations as well as ammo and food for hundreds of years. It has been proven to improve moral, and provide a taste of home to distant troops. Budweiser like Coca-Cola, has set up operations around the world to insure our freedom fighters were never far from a fresh taste of home. Geo Washington also lead many efforts to supply troops beer. So, either accept alcohol and it’s place within our society including military or find a location like the moslim locales where it is banned. It will show in great vividness a world without alcohol rights for responsible consumers. Better yet, focus your efforts on the millions addicted to food for comfort who are driving up health care while eating themselves into an early death. Think of all the ecco-friendly efforts if we didn’t have to provide electric jazzy carts to 75% of the American public over the age of 65 whose only health issues are sore arms from shoveling ice cream.