SAN FRANCISCO– Major donors who helped fund construction of the Lee & Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge, a PenFed Foundation project, were honored at a celebration dinner in San Francisco. The Defenders Lodge provides free lodging for veterans and their families undergoing outpatient care at the VA Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif.
The dinner, hosted by PenFed Credit Union President and CEO James Schenck and PenFed Foundation Board Chairman Frederick F.Y. Pang, recognized the largest supporters of this project, including Lee and Penny Anderson, who donated $3.5 million. PenFed, which funds a wide range of programs supporting veterans and military members and their families, donated nearly $8 million toward this and other projects.
Since it opened in May 2014, the Defenders Lodge has provided 91,298 free bed nights, saving veterans and their caregivers more than $22.5 million in lodging expenses. This first of its kind facility offers 52 rooms and 104 beds to all eligible veterans and their caregivers cost-free. A public-private partnership of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Pen Fed Credit Union and the PenFed Foundation, it was founded to help meet the needs of the thousands of veterans who travel each year to Palo Alto for medical care.
Schenck thanked the gathering of more than three dozen supporters and donors attending the dinner. “The Defenders Lodge fills a critical need for veterans and their families and is almost fully occupied 365 days a year,” he said. “Without you, this amazing facility would not be a reality. You have built an outstanding legacy. The Lee & Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge will continue helping veterans and their families for years to come.”