DENVER — Metal, wood, cement and wire are needed to make a building, but U.S. Army veteran Lexi Faulkner knows it takes a lot more than that to make a VFW post.

“The Veterans of Foreign Wars is a family,” Faulkner said.

For the men and women who have served overseas in a combat theater of operations, it’s a proud fraternity.

“You get the camaraderie that you had in the military that you can’t find on the civilian side,” Faulkner said.

Incorporated in the 1920s, Colorado’s largest VFW post on West Colfax Avenue in Denver is in need of a little tender loving care.

“Getting changes around here is somewhat hard as it has to go through a voting process. If it comes out of our bank account … the voting process can get long and tedious,” Faulkner said.

But thanks to  Sears’ Heroes at Home and the national coalition Rebuilding America, the needed face-lift for Post 501 is underway.

Sears President Joelle Maher said helping veterans is a long standing Sears tradition.

“Sears’ original chairman Robert Wood was actually a veteran of World War I, so he was involved and from the very beginning we’ve kept that connection,” Maher said.

The upgrades to Post 501 will cost more than $10,000 and take about a day to complete.  All the workers are Sears volunteers and all the labor and material is donated.  No charge to Post 501.

“Completely grateful,” Faulkner said.