Gloucester American Legion Post 75 has been assisting military veterans since at least the 1940s, but now the post itself needs some help. The building that serves as the post headquarters, located on Route 17 across from the industrial park, has to have a new roof.

“Our backs are against the wall,” said post adjutant Rick Ward. “We’re jammed. We need to get this roof done. We work real hard to take care of what we’ve got, but we need help with this roof. If we lose our insurance, we lose everything.”

The largest part of the existing 2,000-square-foot building is original and includes two chimneys and a basement. It was built around 1950 and the roof has been recovered twice, so three layers of shingles need to come off. The roof leaks around the chimney and water leaches into the basement, rotting walls and potentially the floor above.

The roof has been a problem for some time, but two years ago the post entered into a contract with a developer. ...