NEWS

Plenty of cheer as Elks fill baskets for the needy

By PETE FONTAINE
Posted 12/22/21

By PETE FONTAINE Dawn Kidd was checkin' her list, making sure kids who've been nice - not naughty - will have the merriest of Christmases Saturday. Likewise, Carol DeLory, Donna Breese, Diane Denoncour and Ann-Marie Clancy continuously checked their

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NEWS

Plenty of cheer as Elks fill baskets for the needy

Posted

Dawn Kidd was checkin’ her list, making sure kids who’ve been nice – not naughty – will have the merriest of Christmases Saturday.

Likewise, Carol DeLory, Donna Breese, Diane Denoncour and Ann-Marie Clancy continuously checked their lists on a night when members of the Tri-City Elks turned Lodge 14’s downstairs dining room into Santa’s Workshop and a special supermarket-like setting.

“I’ve never seen such an outpouring of love to help people, especially those families in need who have children,” said Deb Mangina, Tri-City’s Exalter Ruler, as she filled another one of 44 huge rubberized laundry baskets that was already overflowing with food and toys. “I’m pretty sure this one is set to go; tonight gives everyone a warm feeling of helping those people in need.”

Thus, the people above – along with Lodge 14 members like Steve Carmody who took part in Tri-City’s unique Holiday Cheer Program – no one was actually sure of just how many years the annual generous acts of giving has been held but as Kidd related: “We know we’ll help a lot of people this Christmas.”

After which Mark Eaton, who has worn many Elks hats through the years at both the local and state Elks levels who spearheaded the many years ago, confirmed: “I’d say we’ve been doing this at least eight years and maybe more.”

Meanwhile, Kidd – who doubles as an Elk and one of Tri-City’s bartenders – said: “I’ve been around this lodge for 10 years and it’s been going on all that time.”

Regardless, the program is what Eaton – and other Tri-City officers and members will attest, “is indeed the epitome of the national organization’s credo, Elks Care, Elks Share!”

So, just where does the food – which was in abundance during last week’s basket filling event and featured everything from food, canned goods, laundry items, a variety of toiletries, paper goods, as well as peanut butter and jelly and much, much more -- come from and how does the Holiday Cheer Program have so many children’s toys that last week filled the tops of long banquet table-after-table before Elks members checked children’s wish lists and placed them in the plastic baskets for special delivery?

For starters, the Tri-City Elks holds its annual “Toy Party” inside Lodge 14 at 1915 West Shore Road in Warwick with a band and free buffet and many members and guests bring all sorts of toys, games, stuffed animals … or as Mangina noted: “just about every kind of gift imaginable that a young boy or girl would love to receive on Christmas day.”

The Holiday Cheer Program was again an overwhelming success and in addition to the food and toy baskets included $25 gift cards to Stop & Shop and funded by Lodge 14 as well as a grant from the Elks National Foundation that has supported the program in year’s past.

Also, much of the revenue used to purchase food, etc. for the Holiday Cheer Program is the direct result of highly-successful events Tri-City holds throughout the year.

Moreover, the distribution of the food-and-toy baskets results from contacts Tri-City has made through the years as well as Lodge 14 officials contacting schools and churches to find out families who are in need in Warwick and surrounding communities.

Each food and toy basket is delivered with respect to people’s privacy by Elks who, as Mangina and Lodge 14 members like Eaton and Leading Knight Rick Swanson -- recently did a host of food and gift-card shopping – will celebrate Christmas with a heartfelt feeling that will bring toys, food and happiness to families in need.

Elks, baskets, needy

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