FOUNTAIN — The monthly steak dinner hosted by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6461 in Fountain has a different meaning this time around.
The post is donating the money raised from the dinner to the family of Fountain Police Officer Julian Becerra. On Friday, Fountain Police said Becerra is on life support after falling 40 feet from a bridge while responding to a high speed chase.
Travis Baker, the post commander, said after hearing of the officer's injuries, the post wanted to dedicate the dinner to him.
"It's extremely important for us to support our law enforcement because down here in Fountain, a lot of our law enforcement are former military," Baker said.
The post cooked 150 steak dinners for $15 each and sold them to anyone wanting to show support. Baker said their goal of raising $3,000 was exceeded with the dinner donations and checks from VFWs across the state and nation.
Several Fountain police officers were welcomed during the dinner Friday night. Geri Reble, a school resource officer with Fountain Police, said the department's bond remains strong.
"We check in on each other just as friends would. That's the person that's coming to defend you in situations and so we know that we can trust each other implicitly and we count on each other," she said.
Editor's note: On Saturday, February 11, Fountain Police announced the passing of Officer Bacerra.
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