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Written by Rita Smith, PER

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When the government reopened in November 2025, Tampa Elks Lodge #708 learned of an opportunity to use its $6,000 Elks National Foundation Spotlight Grant. Suzanne Malloy, president of Blue Star Families at MacDill AFB, was trying to give 350 military families the ingredients needed for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Her plan was to do a drive-through event on a weekday, so the service members or their spouses could pull up in their vehicle, receive the food and move on without the need to park, walk in and shop in a store with their children. On Nov. 16, lodge members presented Malloy with the grant check, and Malloy explained to members that while it may not appear that active-duty military would need assistance, those in the lower ranks who arrived with a family were struggling in the high-cost area. The sign-up sheet was rank restricted for the first few hours. After all the lower ranked members were served, the base notified veterans who had gone unpaid that they could participate. The drive-through took place Nov. 19 and included help from 10 lodge member volunteers. The first several hours were spent sorting and packing boxes. At noon, the vehicles arrived, first a trickle, then a swarm. Each vehicle was loaded with dry goods, produce, refrigerated items, a turkey and a pumpkin pie. The last half hour was spent cleaning up. A total of 382 families received Thanksgiving meal items.

Pictured stuffing Thanksgiving cards into envelopes to be added to each bag is member Bill French. Also pictured are Kim Benzing, Treasurer; Robert Maloney Jr., Inner Guard; and Shelagh Gombarcik, PER, trustee.

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Written by Brandon Elks

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Each year, Emergency Care Help Organization requests help and donations from the community so they can continue to provide a hot Thanksgiving meal along with a Blessing Bag to families living in local motels. The bags are full of groceries and toiletries. In October, Terri Ciesla, Brandon Ladies of Elks President, went shopping with $1,760 from the lodge charity account to purchase shampoo and conditioner, baby wipes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bars of soap, peanut butter and jelly, crackers, beef jerky, granola bars, and fruit snacks. On Oct. 28, 10 Brandon Ladies of Elks gathered at the lodge to fill 100 Blessing Bags. On Oct. 29, Brandon Ladies Gayle Cook, Charlene Hart and Terri Ciesla delivered the bags to ECHO.

Pictured in the front with the bags are Charlene Hart; Ann Fox, PLP; Kathy Bilinski; and Terri Ciesla, President. In the back are Ann Marie Florentino; Jane Moon, PSP-FLOE; Janice Jacobson; Barbara O’Brien; Judy Kilchenstein and Beverly Lowe.

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Written by Rita Smith, PER

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On Nov. 12, Tampa Elks Lodge hosted its monthly Motivated Mustangs meeting. This is an Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant project that runs the entire school year. It is an official school function at Madison Middle School, with the supervision of the school’s guidance counselor. As always, the Elks fed the students first — this month was a choice between two items from Chick-fil-A. The meeting’s main activity was addressing Thanksgiving cards to their parents or guardians. However, addressing an envelope is not taught in elementary school anymore, and this was more difficult and time consuming than expected. Many students did not know their ZIP code, and one student whose single parent recently passed had no idea where she would be spending Thanksgiving break. It was eye-opening for the volunteers to see how badly these students needed some extra support. After the students left, Patty Volpe, project manager, inserted a $50 Walmart gift card into each envelope. The social worker checked the addresses and mailed them in time for the adult in the family to get them early in the week of Thanksgiving. The ENF Community Investments Program staff agreed to allow the lodge to help the family with food, since there was no guarantee of food stamps and the students will not be receiving free breakfast and lunch at school. (When you are using a grant, any changes must be approved by ENF in advance.)

Lodge members pictured are Shelagh Gombarcik, PER; Bonnie Atwood; Carolyn Miller; Melissa Bertoch; Cheiatien Elkins; Patty Volpe, project manager; Rita Smith, PER; Laura Bell; and Robert Maloney Jr., Inner Guard.

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Written by Jacksonville Elks

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On Oct. 31, Jacksonville Elks Lodge #221donated $2,000 to help students at Alden Road Exception Student Center with their school lunches for the remainder of the school year. ARESC is one of the 37 non-Community Eligibility Provision schools in Duval County that had their school lunch program canceled, and staff members and teachers at the school were paying for the students’ lunches out of their own pockets. Principal Joey Blitch expressed how grateful they all are for the donation. During a visit to ARESC, lodge members participated in the school’s open house, where they had the opportunity to purchase items made by the students.

Pictured are Cynthia Pearson, Duval County Public Schools Board member; Deborah Reedy, PER, Lodge Secretary; Joey Blitch, principal; Pam Haley, member; Donna Blaine, vice principal; and Robin Pipkins, trustee.

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Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER

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Pensacola Beach Elks Lodge #497 held its 36th annual Veterans Day parade Nov. 11. The honorary parade grand marshal was the first Hispanic Blue Angel pilot, LCDR (retired) Al Cisneros. The lodge director of the parade, Col. (retired) Patricia Welch, again brought the community together, with the involvement of the American Legion and all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this event another success. The parade’s creator and founder was Elk Morris ‘Morrie’ Calvin Drees, who passed away Nov. 4.

Pictured are Greg Eddins, Exalted Ruler; LCDR (retired) Al Cisneros; and Gary Booker, trustee. Also pictured are a young Cisneros and Morris Calvin Drees, parade founder.

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Written by Taz WrightReynolds, PER

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On Oct. 9, Crestview Elks Lodge #2624 donated $10,000 from the Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant to Dinner at Dad's Compassionate Ministries. These funds will directly support the upcoming Remote Area Medical clinic, which is coming to Crestview for the first time. The RAM clinic, scheduled for late November, will provide free medical, dental and vision care to individuals and families in need throughout the community. Each dollar donated to the RAM clinic equals approximately $3 in medical services, meaning this grant will deliver nearly $30,000 worth of essential care to residents.

Pictured are Traci Medlock, trustee; Pastor Joe Bennett of the Crestview Church of the Nazarene; Ed Mitchell Jr., DAD’s president; Deb McMullen, Exalted Ruler; and Larry Medlock, chaplain.

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Written by Parrish Elks

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On Nov. 11, Parrish Elks Lodge members marched in the first Parrish Veterans Day Parade and carried the American flag, POW flag and the six branch of service flags. Member veterans Wayne Masters and Ken Terry rode the parade route in a Sahara Jeep.

Pictured are Kara Cormier, granddaughter of member Mitch Loiselle; members Frank Loviglio, Mitch Loiselle, Joe Kline, and Ken Knight; Mariah Cormier, granddaughter of Mitch Loiselle; and members Jeff Egelston and Sandy Reinhartz. 

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Written by Lynn Monahan

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On Oct. 22, members from Sarasota South Elks Lodge #2495 met students from Robert E. Willis Elementary School as they entered the school and provided them with 800 Drug Awareness packets filled with coloring books, crayons, Drug Awareness bookmarks and Red Ribbons. Teachers and parents were excited to see Elroy the Elk (member Colin Murphy) and Elroy received many hugs and high fives!

Pictured are Paul Garcia, Exalted Ruler; a father and his two children; Elroy the Elk; Christopher Keim, Inner Guard; Dee Pico-Keim, PER, Drug Awareness State Chair; and Phyllis Morales, Willis Elementary certified school counselor and Elk.