$8,000 Stolen in VFW Post Burglary

Burglars ransacked a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Simi Valley, making off with $8,000 in cash--including $2,000 collected for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“Members would just toss a few dollars in here and there to help out the families left behind,” said Hank Calderon, administrator of the post on Los Angeles Avenue. “And now, poof! It’s all gone.”

The 250-member club has struggled to make mortgage payments for years and may not recover from the loss, Calderon said. Insurance will cover property damage but cannot replace cash stolen from a safe, he said.