CAÑON CITY, Colo. — For VFW Post 4061 Commander Jeff Gill, working at the VFW is near and dear to his heart.
"20 years I was in the army," Gill said. "It's the gratification of helping others. Helping our veterans."
After a burglar broke into his Post Thursday night, he was at a loss for words.
"It's just not right," Gill added.
Gill's indoor cameras caught a masked individual with a white hoodie. Cañon City Police said Sunday they have not identified a suspect.
Gill says what the burglar broke and stole inside the post can easily be fixed or replaced, but it's the emergency exits that might set him back. He said between what was stolen and damages it would cost between $3,000 and $5,000. The doors alone would cost $1,200.
But Sunday, a surprise called.
"My door has just been replaced," Gill said.
Gill received an offer to have his doors fixed at no charge.
Another local helping out was James VanFleet.
"It was one of those things where I didn't think about it too long, I just did it," VanFleet said.
VanFleet started Ozark Dog, a food stand, a year ago.
"It's all about home cooking and hot dogs, we needed a good hot dog place," VanFleet said.
To help out, VanFleet vowed a dollar for every dog sold plus tips to the VFW.
It resulted in more than $900 raised. At one point, VanFleet said he had to run to get more hot dogs.
"Yesterday, we had people 20 deep for four hours," VanFleet explained.
So in a time of need, others gave back, so Gill's Post could be back to normal in no time.
Cañon City Police say the search is still ongoing for a suspect. CCPD and Crime Stoppers are offering potentially $1,000 cash prizes for any tips that lead to an arrest.
Highway 96 closed in Custer County Sunday night after rock slide
A rock slide forced the closure of a Colorado highway in Custer County Sunday night.
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