LI ‘Cooking For A Paws’ Event To Benefit Veterans, Service Dogs

PATCHOGUE, NY — A group of Long Island veterans and eateries will chip in on Sunday with manpower and supplies to help veterans with service dog needs.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Jayne Lattin Post 2913 and WhiskeyNeat are joining with “Cooking with a Veteran” as part of “Paws for a Cause” at Capital One Plaza in Patchogue from 12 to 4 p.m.

The purchase of a ticket to eat some great barbecue food will go to help veterans in need of a service dog, and will also help needy veterans in the Suffolk County area, according to organizer Dave Rogers of “Cooking with a Veteran.”

The funds collected at the fundraiser will go to support Paws of War, which helps raise money to train service dogs, as well as provide other needs, and VFW Programs like Unmet Needs, aids veterans experiencing financial difficulties, according to Rogers.

“We want to make sure that we are providing more,” said Rogers, a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant, suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and has a service dog of his own, Grunt, a three-year-old lab.

The fundraiser’s goal is also to “help vets that have service dogs so that they get the additional assistance that they need and be able to afford it.”

The meals will be prepared with food donated by local restaurants, cooked by veterans, and then served al fresco inside the plaza.

“It should be a very nice event,” said Rogers. “We will have veterans from World War II all the way to the current wars cooking together.”

In addition to WhiskeyNeat, some of the restaurants that have pitched in include Arooga’s, the Village Idiot, and Reese’s 1900 House.

Due to capacity restrictions for the plaza, the event will take place with several seatings, he said. And while Rogers said it is strongly encouraged to purchase a ticket online, there will be a limited amount available for purchase in person on the day of the event.

Tickets for the event run $15 to $25. To purchase one on Eventbrite, click here.

Anyone who wants to attend, but can't in person, can visit @VFWPOST-2913 to watch live from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information about the event, contact Dave Rogers at 631-838-8944, or email Dave-rogers1969@live.com