May 13, 2020
VFW Post 7916 in northern Virginia pledged to advance their mission of “Honoring The Dead by Helping The Living” amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
The Post provided and delivered food to those in need around the town of Occoquan, Virginia, about 23 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. It also donated additional funds to a local food bank to purchase 5,000 pounds of food in April.
For its own members, Post 7916 delivered 20 Easter Sunday dinners, along with health and welfare checks to any member in need of additional help in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Several Post 7916 members who also work for the Occoquan Police Department have donated health and welfare checks for all of the town’s residents, according to Jeff Lett, VFW Post 7916 commander.
The Post’s donations also include protective masks for local medical facilities and scuba diving masks from a member’s dive shop for conversion into ventilator masks compatible in preventing the COVID-19 spread.
A few members of Post 7916 belong to other national organizations battling the spread of coronavirus, which include the VA and Department of Homeland Security. Another Post member, a Navy nurse, is currently onboard the USNS Comfort, a floating hospital with 1,000 beds docked along Pier 90 in New York City, seeking to assist more than 500 COVID-19 patients.
“We are very fortunate to have these Post members and other VFW members all over the world defending us and our families today,” Lett said.
By Ismael Rodriguez Jr./VFW magazine