Robert Johnson

A proud Army veteran, Robert Johnson has been cooking up support for the VFW National Home for Children for years now.

Robert joined the Army at age 16 during the Korean War and was enlisted for two years. He rose to the rank of staff sergeant during that time. When Robert was up for re-enlistment, he joined the Air Force where he resumed his rank of staff sergeant and served for 12 years. For eight of those years, Robert was a personal cook for a three-star general.

Robert visited the National Home for the first time in 2015 and immediately fell in love with our cause and our campus. That was when he decided to put his cooking skills into action for a good cause. Upon his return to Harrisonville, Missouri, Robert began staging charity dinners at VFW Post #4409 to raise money for the National Home. To date, he has staged four charity dinners on our behalf, with more to come.

Robert buys everything out of his own pocket for his charity dinners, and he cooks everything by himself!
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“I feel that it’s a very worthwhile cause, and it helps bring awareness to veterans and their families,” says Robert. “I believe in what you are doing. The National Home helps people down on their luck, and it helps them keep their self-respect.”

When asked about his unique…and delicious…method for raising funds for the National Home, Robert responds, “Cooking is the only way I know to help raise money for you, and every drop in the bucket helps fill the need.”

Robert wishes that he would have known about the National Home when he was raising his four children. His wife died at the age of 37 of pneumonia and once he left the military life, he earned a living as a cross-country truck driver to support his kids. He is especially enamored with the National Home’s education programs and expansive campus.

“It is a great campus. It’s setup as a small city with all that is necessary to support Veterans and their families in a comfortable setting. The educational programs help Veterans get back on their feet and the National Home provides fully furnished homes until they do.”

Thank you, Robert, for being such a patriotic and loyal donor, and thank you to the members of VFW Post #4409 for contributing to Robert’s charity dinners. We are deeply grateful for your generosity.