ORANGEVALE, CA (MPG) - Sacramento area residents might remember the Veteran’s Wall at the former Hometown Buffet on Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights.

Countless photos of veterans were displayed on this wall while the restaurant was open. But when Hometown Buffet abruptly closed in 2016, the photos disappeared with it, seemingly lost to the abyss.

However, Debbie Luce, a member of the Orangevale Grange, and her mother, Marge, came to the rescue.

“My mom's picture was also on the wall. She's an 86-year-old Navy veteran who wanted to find the pictures and hopefully return them to their families,” Luce said.

And find them they did.

Luce and her mother discovered that the photos had been taken to Stockton, where they were tucked away in a storage room. Luce and Marge were able to bring them back to Orangevale and are now planning ways to get the photos back to their rightful owners.

“It’s a such a shame to think these photos would probably have been thrown away eventually,” Luce said. “There are generations of pictures.”

There are more than 50 pictures of veterans currently in Luce’s possession at the Orangevale Grange, and they are holding a Veterans Day event to honor those people.

From 8 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, the Orangevale Grange will hold a Veterans Day breakfast, where the photos will be on display. According to Luce, the breakfast will feature all-you-can-eat blueberry pancakes along with the Grange’s “infamous” biscuits and gravy.

The Orangevale Grange is located at 5807 Walnut Ave., Orangevale.

Luce said the Grange plans to make a “traveling poster” of all the photos and take it around town, including to the Orangevale Community Center.

If you recognize any of the photos or wish to view them, Debbie Luce can be reached at 916-425-8561 or [email protected].