When Milinda Anderson learned of a way to help the newly-established Fisher House in Charleston, a home-away-from-home for families of sick veterans, she jumped at the opportunity.
Her mind immediately flooded with memories of her grandpa, a World War II Army veteran.
The retail manager of the Cracker Barrel store in Summerville, Anderson was contacted last month by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary 3433 in Ladson about donating hand-painted rocking chairs for the Fisher House front porch.
"When they said 'the Fisher House,' that was all they had to say," Anderson said.
The home is the first of its kind in the state, though 76 others exist across the country, and is used to house sick veterans' families, or the vets themselves if need be, according to Vicki Johnson, house manager and 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. It's also the first Fisher House located in a residential area.
Looking for a way to help the inaugural facility, VFW officials said they worked out the deal with the local eatery, only expecting to secure two or three chairs maximum. But six total chairs, each displaying a symbol of a separate military branch, now rest on the home's porch, giving visitors who lodge there a place for outdoor respite.
During a luncheon Friday, Vicki Johnson (left) and Betty Gander (right) present a special plaque to Milinda Anderson, retail manager for the Summerville Cracker Barrel, for her help with the chair donation.
Since opening its doors on Jan. 10, the Fisher House has welcomed more than 60 veterans' families in need of a free place to stay while a loved one receives care at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, MUSC and any other hospitals in the Lowcountry and 22 total coastal counties, Johnson said. The home has 16 total suites and averages 10 to 11 families per night.
"If you ever see the Fisher House, then you'll know. It's not a house; it's a home," said Beth Tuft, guard for the S.C. Auxiliary Department.
Without the lodging, many families who can't afford multiple nights in a hotel would have to sleep in their cars in parking lots, according to Johnson.
Summerville Mayor Wiley Johnson, also an Air Force veteran, praised Cracker Barrel's role.
"We're here to honor Cracker Barrel for being such a good citizen, and we're looking forward to having more and more," he said of future town businesses.
Both Wiley Johnson and Vicki Johnson attended a special luncheon at the restaurant on Friday to honor Anderson, who couldn't help but tear up when VFW ladies presented her with a special plaque.
"We had no place to put our family up," Anderson said about her grandpa's hospital stay in Charleston during the 1980s.
Also in attendance Friday, and proudly dressed in patriotic colors and symbols, were state leaders from The Military Order of the Cootie Auxiliary and several Ladson VFW Auxiliary members.
The Fisher House relies solely on community donations to operate, and Vicki Johnson said the local one has received financial support from thousands of organizations, many of them veteran-related.
For more information on volunteering or donating, call 843-805-8200; visit the website;or find Friends of Fisher House Charleston/Grand Strand on Facebook.
