For Mansfield residents searching for a fresh-cooked meal for breakfast and lunch, look no further than the VFW Mohican Post 9943.
Located at 806 Grace St. in Mansfield, the post’s famous Chow Line has served breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. for the past five years. The Rev. Debi Augustus stated the difference in the Chow Line is the quality of the meals served.
“Our campaign manager shops a couple times a week, so she’s not buying in mass quantities and putting food in the freezer and hoping it will sell next week,” explained Augustus. “There’s something in the taste that’s different when you don’t constantly freeze something.”
Not only are the meals always fresh, but also they are prepared with care. Volunteers in the VFW kitchen hand cut the french fries for each order, and certain times of the year members will prepare their own hand-me-down recipes. Augustus noted the portions are generous, and affordable.
“I personally have done comparisons to everyone around us, and we are extremely affordable,” she said. “And we need to be, because veterans live on such a budgeted income, and that’s who we serve the majority of the time.”
The VFW Chow Line is open to the public, and Augustus encourages anyone and everyone to come to the post and share a meal with a local war hero, or an active duty soldier and their families.
“We are open to the public and you can call ahead, or organizations come in and eat,” said Augustus. “You can meet soldiers; it’s kind of nice to know who has defended your town.”
Meals can be catered to accommodate large groups, or prepared in advance for pick-up. For those choosing to dine at the post, Augustus assures guests will be in a safe, friendly and smoke-free environment.
“Everybody thinks of the VFW as a smoky bar, but it’s just not that way anymore,” she said. “There are so many other things going on. It’s a nice atmosphere.”
As a non-profit organization, all proceeds exceeding the cost of food is rolled back into the Mansfield community. Augustus stated the VFW works hard to obtain a comfortable financial level in order to better serve the public – with many of their fundraising efforts centering around food.
“We have a full-service kitchen, a lot of talented people and everybody likes to eat – we have benefits all the time, spaghetti dinners and steak dinners and fish fries,” said Augustus. “Our gang likes to eat. We’ve got a lot of good cooks, so why not share that with the public? It’s the glue that holds everybody together.”
More information about the VFW Chow Line can be found on their Facebook page, or by emailing vfwmohicanpost9943@yahoo.com.
