ALAMOSA — Chris Martinez is a fixture at the Safeway store in Alamosa on weekends, volunteering for Alamosa Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 899. He is selling raffle tickets for the Veterans Day cash raffle to be held on Nov. 11. Tickets are $5 with a chance to win a $700 first prize, $175 second, and $125 third place prize. Martinez also accepts donations to help Veterans.
The VFW is a nonprofit Veterans Service Organization that originated in 1898 to serve Veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Philippines War. Today, membership exceeds 1.4 million members. In fiscal year 2023, the VFW assisted in obtaining $13 billion in VA benefits.
On Sunday, Sept. 29, the organization celebrated VFW Day, marking the 125th anniversary of the group.
Commander-in-Chief Al Lipphardt said, "Since our founding in 1899, the VFW has been a beacon of hope and assistance for millions of veterans and their families. We have fought for the rights, recognition, and benefits that they earned and deserve. Our organization stands united in its mission of advocacy, service, camaraderie, and honoring those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom."
