Ingredients for a recent meal included 60 pounds of meat, 10 pounds of rice, 15 pounds of beans, seven pounds of cheese, 300 tortillas and a gallon-and-a-half of salsa. She started cooking at home the day before, then rose at 3 a.m. the next day to put in eight hours at the stove before lunch was served.


The only chore she


Rachel Medrano receives a surprise visit from Michelle Obama (center) recognizing her for her 1,000 hours of service to the soldiers at the Warrior and Family Support Center. Pictured left to right in the kitchen are: Dr. Jill Biden, Judith Merkel, Michelle Obama, Rachel Medrano.


doesn’t enjoy is chopping vegetables, so her husband, Dan, always wields the knife. Medrano often has several hundred mouths to feed. She’s at the Warrior and Family Support Center one Saturday a month to make breakfast as well as every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday to cook a meal sponsored by her Post and Auxiliary, Post and Auxiliary 7108 or Post 1533. Volunteers


from each group assist with serving and cleanup, and each group provides funds to purchase supplies. Her diners love everything she makes. They’re always


“She’s like the ice cream man, where all the


kids come running.”


– LEONOR LIRA BORJAS


appreciative, she says, and their smiles and hugs are thanks enough. “I like to see those happy faces,” she said. “They say ‘thank you.’ I say, ‘No. Thank you.’” Other blessings often come with her culinary gifts, too. She gets to know the soldiers and their families after feeding them meal after meal for a year or two. “I wish I was younger so I could do more,” Medrano said. “I wish I had a lot of money so I could give them even more.”


At 72, she contemplates retirement, but no one intends


to relieve her of kitchen duty anytime soon. “‘You’re not going anywhere,’ they tell me. ‘You’re staying right here. These guys need you.’” “She’s 110 percent dedicated to the Wounded Warriors,” Borjas said, and when invited to participate in other projects, she always hesitates. “I’ve got to check,” she says. “I’ve got to feed my boys.” n MS


28 LADIES AUXILIARY VFW MAGAZINE


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