RAPID CITY, SD — For 13 dollars, you can get all-you-can-eat pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs Benedict and more at the VFW. But what you are really buying is support for local veterans and their families.

Kat Pyka, who served 22 years in the Army and has been part of the local VFW for five years, says the monthly breakfast is more than just a meal. It is one of the many ways the VFW raises money to give back right here in the Black Hills.

The breakfast is held once a month from October through May, usually on the first Sunday. In April, it will move to the second Sunday due to Easter. Everything is homemade and prepared by volunteers.

Pancakes are made fresh in front of you. Guests can choose blueberries, chocolate chips or peanut butter chips mixed right into the batter. There is also a buffet line with biscuits and gravy, sausage patties, breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, French toast and eggs Benedict.

“It is homemade food,” Kat said.

The atmosphere feels more like a family kitchen than a commercial dining room. Volunteers greet guests with smiles, refill coffee cups and make sure no one leaves hungry.

Most importantly, every dollar stays local.

Kat said the VFW gives an average of 20,000 dollars each year directly to veterans in need. That includes gas cards, help with electric and water bills and other emergency assistance. The VFW also organizes the annual Veterans Day parade and hosts Boots on the Ground, an event that provides clothing, hygiene items and a hot meal to veterans, military members and their families.

The VFW honor guard performs more than 100 funerals each year, providing final honors to fellow service members.

“All of ours is local,” Kat said.

The support does not stop with breakfast. The VFW hosts a Queen of Hearts drawing every Thursday at 6 p.m., along with concerts, karaoke, free dance lessons, bingo and spaghetti fundraisers that allow other nonprofit organizations to raise money. There are lunch and dinner specials throughout the week, including prime rib on Thursdays and walleye on Fridays.

And one thing Kat wants people to understand clearly is this: you do not have to be a veteran to walk through the doors.

“You absolutely do not have to be a veteran to come in,” she said. “Coming in supports us and everything we do.”

The VFW is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, serving lunch daily and dinner Tuesday through Friday.

There is also a Veterans Free Legal Clinic scheduled for March 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering free legal help to veterans.

For more information on upcoming breakfasts, events and specials, visit the VFW Post 1273 Facebook page.

Whether you stop in for pancakes, a burger or Friday walleye, your meal helps fund programs that support veterans in times of need. Sometimes the best way to show your support is simply to show up, grab a plate and stand behind the people who have served our community and our country.