Clarissa Sherrow is ecstatic to be able to host the Veterans Breakfast again this year. The popular annual event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Oxford Senior Center at 12 E. Locust Street in Oxford.

Sherrow has been doing this for years, with the help of many friends, organizations, and volunteers.

“This is something I look forward to every year,” Sherrow said. “We need to remember the veterans and this breakfast is a chance to give back to them. The most important thing about the breakfast is it gives the veterans an opportunity to talk with other veterans. We always get someone who is new to the breakfast and it is great to see them finding friends they haven’t seen in a long time. We continue to lose veterans every year, so we need to honor them and help them in any way.”

The Oxford Veterans Breakfast brings veterans in from the local Oxford area, as well as veterans from Chester County, other places in Pennsylvania, plus Maryland and Delaware.

Sherrow said, “We normally serve up to 200 people. Veterans are invited to bring a guest with them. We serve scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, potatoes, gravy and coffee. They do come for all the good food, but they also come to talk to others who know what they have been through. It’s really important for veterans to talk to other veterans.”

People are eager to volunteer their time to help with the breakfast. Local scouts usually participate as well as the Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce.

The breakfast also gives local groups who help the veterans an opportunity to share information with the local men and women who served their country.

Sherrow explained, “I know our community suffered a great loss with the fire of September 13. I hate to ask for any donations knowing how much our community has been giving lately. However, I know this community is a very giving community, and many organizations look forward to helping with this breakfast.”

Every day, memories of World War II are disappearing from living history. The men and women who fought and won this great conflict are now in their 90s or older, and, according to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, only 119,550 of the 16.1 million Americans who served in World War II are alive as of 2023.

Many veterans suffer silently with PTSD, or illnesses that were caused by their time of service. Oxford values their veterans, which is evident by the number of banners flying along Oxford streets as a way to honor and remember the price the veterans paid for their country.

Anyone wanting to help or donate to the Oxford Veterans Breakfast should contact Sherrow at 484-645-4513. 

“Please spread the word of the breakfast to any veterans you know,” Sherrow said.

Photo courtesy of Trevor Derr