Hotel Help

By Katherine Peters

Kudos to the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation for raising money to build a new hotel for veterans needing treatment at the VA Palo Alto hospital. The nonprofit organization is raising $12 million to build the Defenders Lodge, which will replace an existing, dilapidated hotel slated to be torn down. The lodge will provide veterans with free accommodations while they receive outpatient treatment at the hospital and a number of specialized facilities, including the Traumatic Brain Injury Center and the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. According to the foundation, last year nearly 11,000 patients had to find temporary housing while undergoing treatment, sometimes driving as far as 50 miles to find affordable lodging.