Michael Beattie of Connecticut, founder of Biking for Vets, will speak to the need to help homeless and hungry veterans on Friday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, at L.L. Bean.

Beattie’s presentation, “Cycling for a Cause – Hungry Veterans,” begins at 7 p.m., in the camping atrium of the L.L. Bean Flagship Store.

The L.L. Bean event is one of three special occasions lined up locally for veterans on Veterans Day week. Two days prior to the holiday – on Wednesday, Nov. 9 – veterans and a guest are invited to a free spaghetti supper in their honor at the Durham Congregational Church, located at 773 Royalsborough Road. Boy Scout Troop 145 is putting on the supper, which will run from 5-6:30 p.m.

Coinciding with Beattie’s appearance at L.L. Bean, First Parish Church Congregational, just down Main Street,will host a big Veterans Day gala. American Legion Post 83 organized a free Veterans Day Concert, which will offer lots of patriotic music and an inspirational presentation from United Farmer Veterans of Maine, which makes it possible for veterans to become farmers at little cost. That event begins at 6 p.m.

Beattie is a Navy veteran, who took the proceeds from selling his home, got on his bicycle last year and made it his mission to raise money and awareness regarding veteran hunger in America. The message printed on the back of the retired locksmith/security company owner’s shirt was, “I’m biking 12,000 miles to feed hungry veterans.”

The 12,124-mile cross-country ride is over, but Beattie’s efforts to help veterans in need are ongoing, and the Freeport appearance is part of that. He has started his own nonprofit, Biking for Vets, in Storrs, Connecticut, and has affiliated with Feed Our Vets, a food pantry in Utica, New York, that provides paid food cards to needy veterans and their families in 38 states.

Bean spokesman Eric Smith said that Beattie’s story is remarkable.

“At L.L.Bean we’re always looking for ways to inspire and equip people to get outdoors,” he said in an email to the Tri-Town Weekly. “Mike Beattie has an amazing story about what inspired him to ride his bike across America to raise awareness of the needs of homeless and hungry veterans. We’re excited to welcome Mike here to Freeport, and Veterans Day is the perfect opportunity for our community to hear about his adventures and learn more about how we can support the needs of our veterans.”

Michael  Beattie of Connecticut, who bicycled across the country to raise money for homeless and hungry veterans, will speak at 7 p.m. Veterans Day at the L.L. Bean camping atrium.