SAN BENITO — Veterans and their families in the area soon will have a new place to go for assistance.
Tomorrow, from 1 to 3 p.m., there will be a grand opening ceremony for a facility that hopes to fill in the holes of needs for area Veterans.
Robert Vega who is part of the group leading this effort called it a community project.
Located at the site of the old Williams Road Baptist Church, 951 N. Williams Road, near the San Benito Police Department, Vega said the building has been renovated. Now, it is ready to be officially names after José Mendoza López, a war hero who resided in and is honored in the Rio Grande Valley.
López, who died in 2005, was a Mexican and United States Army soldier. He was awarded the country’s highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions during the Battle of the Bulge.
According to Vega and historical reports, he single-handedly repulsed a German infantry attack, killing at least 100 enemy troops.
Vega said 50 Veterans have been invited to the event tomorrow to celebrate the opening of the facility.
There are high hopes for the future of the project, which now sits on 5 acres. Vega said plans are for job fairs and even a homeless shelter for Veterans to be located in this location at some point down the road.
“There’s the VA and other places to help Veterans, but there is nobody there to help the wives and the children or anybody associated with the Veterans,” Vega said.
Himself a Veteran, Vega said there is so much that can be done for fellow Veterans and a family and community came together to make this project a reality. He was quick to point out the intent is to run the facility as a nonprofit and there is no government money involved in this project.
Vega said more about the project and its goals will be revealed Saturday.
“This is all about community,” Vega said.
