BERNARDSTON – The Bernardston Veterans Club has been renovating its kitchen and facilities with funding from a $10,000 grant from Home Depot and a new $5,000 donation from the Bernardston Kiwanis Club.
While the vets club received the grant from Home Depot back in December, the work has been delayed in part due to the lasting COVID-19 health concerns and added projects required to get the building up to code. Andy Parkinson, president of the Bernardston Veterans Organization Board of Directors, said the grant will help renovate the kitchen and benefit the whole community.
“The kitchen is probably from the ’70s era,” Parkinson said. “The club was established in ’67.”
He said the project has seen new cabinets installed in the kitchen, a three-bay sink and new floors installed in the kitchen and bar area. As the project got underway, Parkinson said they noticed a few other things that needed to be done to get the building up to code, including the need for a new stove and stove hood.
“We’re hoping it’s going to be done within the next month or so,” Parkinson said.
Combined with the unexpected delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, the work wound up costing more than the original grant covered. To help complete the project, the Bernardston Kiwanis Club donated $5,000. Parkinson said the estimated the final cost of the project would total roughly $1,800.
“We at the Bernardston Kiwanis Club were proud to help out these great individuals,” said Kiwanis Club member Dan Devine.
The Bernardston Veterans Organization, which averages 80 to 100 members according to Parkinson, uses its facilities to host events year round. The clubhouse is open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round. Each winter, beginning in October, the Bernardston organization hosts Friday night dinners and activities at facilities in tandem with the Northfield Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9874, because the Northfield facility has no heat. During the summer, the Northfield VFW hosts the Friday night events.
In addition to the veterans organizations, the community as a whole will benefit from the renovations. Parkinson said local organizations, such as the Bernardston Marine Corps League, Bernardston Kiwanis club and the Leyden Gun Club, occasionally hosts meetings and meals at the Bernardston veterans club house. The facility, which can fit about 50 people, can be rented out for public or private functions.
For the past two months, the Bernardston Veterarns Club has been hosting weekly barbecue lunches on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meals consist of burgers and hot dogs cooked by members of the vets club. Most weeks have also seen “Uncle Phil’s BBQ” selling pulled pork, ribs, chicken tenders, fries and more. This coming Saturday, a percentage of sales will go to benefit the Bernardston Veterans Club relay for life team. More information on the barbecue lunches can be found on the Bernardston Veterans Organization Facebook page.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.