Like many village organizations, the Walden Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2946 is consistently hosting local events, dinners and more as a longstanding veteran organization. However, more recently, they could use some extra help, and what is more summer-oriented than a barbecue?

The Walden VFW is located at 4 Oak Street in a large, three-story building. In large, most of their funding comes from donations or raffles, and lately, they’ve found it harder to keep up due to older members leaving the organization for various reasons, as well as the funding for their large building’s maintenance. Besides some members who pay around $40 a year, they don’t get much financially from the organization itself.

Walden VFW Post 2946 Commander Dave Penney explained why they’re having trouble staying afloat despite having current members.

“Like any small business, it’s hard this time of year. A lot of my members are old enough. They don’t want to go out at night. We don’t open during the day [and] it’s tough on them,” said Penney.

As for new members, Penney explained that the VFW scene may not be what they’re looking for at the moment due to their young age. “You start looking for things that are your age bracket,” Penney stated.

Another large reason they need to stay financially afloat is because of their building’s capacity. “In our case, we have a big building and it’s tough to maintain because it’s three floors. We have to maintain the fuel bill in the winter time and the air conditioning in the summer,” said Penney.

With this in consideration, the Walden VFW knew they had to do something to build back finances, so they decided on a summer barbecue.

“It’s a matter of looking at priorities and what we can do to keep us going and keep the people interested,” said Penney, who mentioned hamburgers, hotdogs and salads at the event. It will be held on Saturday, August 5 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at their building, with a $15 price tag.

“We understand a lot of places are looking for help, and the average person can only do so much,” Penney mentioned, noting that the VFW doesn’t want to “push it.”

Even if you cannot attend the event, Penney mentioned that they’ll accept any kind of help, even if it’s a drive by with some spare change.

“Why do you support anything? Whether you’re a church, your favorite place you go to, a tavern, a place to eat, you support them and we just ask for the same courtesy. We’re not gonna get everybody, but every little bit helps,” said Penney.