Outpouring of support rescues Pearland VFW post
Facing closure after 50 years because of the pandemic, community provides a lifeline
The long line of vehicles outside VFW Post 7109 in Pearland signals a dramatic turnaround for an organization that a few weeks ago faced permanent closure because of the pandemic shutdown.
The line of curbside customers begins to form in the early afternoon at the post on West Walnut to pick up burgers on Monday, tacos on Tuesday or a fish plate on Friday. The post’s kitchen, which previously served mostly its own members, has become a thriving curbside restaurant for lunch and dinner-time customers.
“It’s been overwhelming,” said Raul Moreno, a post member and Iraq War vet
In mid-April, the shutdown came close to ending the post’s 50-year run, with Moreno and fellow Iraq War vet Nick Webster wondering whether it could recover.
Because many of its members — veterans of the Korea and Vietnam wars — are older and at greater risk during the pandemic, the post made the decision to close all services, losing its primary sources of income — its canteen and hall rentals. Vets were left without a support system built up over the years.
After news of the post’s dire financial situation spread, donations immediately poured in to a GoFundMe page. Donations came from Pearland City Council members and organizations and companies from Pearland and surrounding areas. U.S. Rep Pete Olson, personally delivered a check.
Letters with donations continue to come from as far away as New York and California, with contributions usually given in memory of a father, uncle, grandfather or brother or sister. VFW posts from all over the country contacted 7109 in a show of support.
Reservations for use of its hall
space continue to fill the post’s calendar, and its restaurant, said Moreno, has thrived in ways he couldn’t have predicted.
“We had lines going around the building and into the street, and we had never experienced that,” Moreno said. “We would go out there and talk to every car to apologize for the delay, and people were OK with it. They were giving us cash and check donations. It was incredible.”
The post has had to hire two new employees to meet the demand and has added new names to its roster of 250 active members.
Marcus Gonzales, a Pearland native who owns a home remodeling company, has ties to the post through family members like his father and father-in-law — both Korean veterans — and aunts and uncles. He said he wants to be part of Post 7109’s continued success. His cooking team, The Little Rascals, joined forces with The Brisketeers for a Memorial Day weekend curbside barbecue cookoff and silent auction.
Preparation began May 22 — with 21 briskets, 40 pounds of beans, 300 to 350 pounds of chicken and 100 pounds of sausage — and by the end of the next day, the teams had sold close to 600 containers of meals at $10 a plate.
The fundraiser donated all the proceeds, including $1 and $2 donations from kids, said Gonzales.
Gonzales has recently donated his services to an elderly vet who needed a ramp installed at his home, and when he learned about the troubles at Post 7109, he wanted to be part of the effort to save it.
“I felt like something was leading me to help them,” he said. “It’s about people standing up for other people.”
In a written statement, Iraq
War veteran Webster said he is grateful to the community, including local businesses who volunteered services, and to those members at 7109 who “toughed it out.”
“They volunteered when times got hard and with smiles on their faces,” he wrote. “Months ago, I didn’t think we would make it to Memorial Day, and truth be said, we’re not 100 percent operational yet, but with the support we’ve received, we can focus on what we do best, and that’s helping our veterans and our community.”
The GoFundMe page was filled with not only donations and messages of support, but personal stories of family members who have served.
Before the page was pulled, the last donation of $835.47 came from Marie Sandidge, the widow of Donny Sandidge, the post’s last surviving World War II veteran, who died in March 2018.
“She came with her daughters and asked us what we needed to meet the goal, and we told her, and she said, ‘Here,’ and wrote a check,” Moreno said. “That made us reach the $20,000 mark.”
The post eventually raised $21,095 and is ready for its next chapter.
For auxiliary president Frankie Santoro, who Moreno calls the "heart and soul" of the post, the outpouring of support was a powerful reminder that the veteran community is not taken for granted.
"I would like to thank the community for coming out and supporting us by purchasing meals," she said. "I also would like to thank the younger members for stepping up during this crisis. I want to be sure the community knows that we will continue to serve food on a daily basis and ask that you guys keep coming in and supporting us. In 50 years, I have never seen so much support from the community."