Marine Corps League
Cpl Brandon Hardy Chester County #286
MCL Detachment #286 — Downingtown, PA. A detachment since 1946 — Downingtown, PA.
Meetings: 1st Monday, 7:00 PM.From public listings; confirm before attending.
- MCL Detachment #286
- Downingtown, PA
- 1st Monday, 7:00 PM
Cpl Brandon Hardy Chester County #286, the Marine Corps League Detachment 286 — Downingtown, PA. The detachment dates to 1946, when veterans home from the Second World War and Korea wanted a room of their own and a way to keep serving after the uniform came off.
Over the years the detachment has taken on the jobs a town actually asks for: rides to a clinic, a meal after a funeral, help with a ramp, a speaker for a school program. The members keep a notebook of what got done and what is still open, and they read it aloud before the meeting adjourns.
The regular meeting is 1st Monday, 7:00 PM. Anyone planning to visit should confirm the night before they come, because a funeral detail or a weather delay can move it. Between meetings the members stay in touch the old way: at the hall, and through the officers listed on this sample site — Downingtown, PA.
Programs
Our Programs
A few of the things the detachment keeps on the calendar — Downingtown, PA. These write-ups are sample stories, in the voice the detachment might use.
Community
Community table
Once a month the detachment sets a long table and feeds whoever comes, veterans first and neighbors welcome — Downingtown, PA.
Veterans
Memorial observance
The detachment leads a short observance each Memorial Day and again near Veterans Day — Downingtown, PA.
Community
Holiday drive
Before the winter holidays, Detachment 286 fills the hall with gifts and groceries for local families — Downingtown, PA.
80
Years on the calendar — Downingtown
Charter story set in 1946
130 hours
Given to local projects
A sample tally from last year
48
Neighbors helped
Rides, meals, and the holiday drive
Calendar
Upcoming
| Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 7:00 PM | Regular meeting | Business meeting of Cpl Brandon Hardy Chester County #286. The public directory lists it as 1st Monday, 7:00 PM. Confirm before you travel. |
| Mon, May 25, 2026, 11:00 AM | Memorial Day observance | A half-hour observance, then coffee at the hall. The members read the names they have been given — Downingtown, PA. |
| Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 6:00 PM | Holiday sorting day | Boxes along the wall of the hall get sorted into gifts, coats, and pantry food for local families — Downingtown, PA. |
| Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 6:30 PM | Past officers’ night | A short program for people who have held an office, then the regular business of Detachment 286. |
News
News
Jan 16, 2026
Notes from the first meeting
Cpl Brandon Hardy Chester County #286. The year opens the usual way: a short meeting, a full pot of coffee, and a list of local families the detachment already knows. The members voted to keep the winter gift drive on the calendar and to pass the word person to person — Downingtown, PA.
Apr 9, 2026
Showing up for the winter gift drive — Downingtown
By spring the hall had the winter gift drive underway. Nothing about it was complicated. The Detachment 286 set a date, split the jobs, and showed up. A few neighbors who are not members came for the afternoon and stayed to ask about the next meeting — Downingtown.
Aug 21, 2026
What the notebook says so far
Late summer the detachment looked back at the notebook. The honor detail had been out more than once, the community table had fed a crowded room, and the officers reminded everyone that the next business meeting is 1st Monday, 7:00 PM. This note is a sample of how the detachment might tell that year — Downingtown, PA.
Officers
Officers
Commandant
Senior Vice Commandant
Adjutant
Paymaster
Chaplain
Sergeant at Arms
Membership
Become a member
Eligible veterans and their families are welcome at a meeting of Detachment 286 — Downingtown, PA. The application stays at the hall. The regular night is 1st Monday, 7:00 PM.
Give
Gifts in this story go to the hall, the holiday drive, and quiet help for local veterans — Downingtown, PA.
Sponsors
Our Sponsors
Two local businesses are written in here as sample sponsors — Downingtown, PA. Cpl Brandon Hardy Chester County #286. Sponsor names here are sample copy, not a list the group published.
Post Home Kitchen
Memorial Hall Bakery
Contact this group
This organization hasn't been claimed yet, so there is no contact information.