Elks provide food, dignity to homeless
Early every Tuesday morning, members of the North Fort Myers Elks Lodge #2742 are busy getting ready for a weekly event. On that day, members of the Veterans Committee feed local homeless individuals and provide them with basics that improve their quality of life.
The award-winning Veterans Outreach Program has been recognized as one of the best in the country by the Elks organization. It is also a model for other lodges and organizations across the U.S., Veterans Administration officials said.
“We started about 10 years ago with about three people at the Greek Monastery that used to be on Evergreen. Now we have about 22 people on the committee,” said program co-chairman Larry Carie. “It’s basically for veterans but we don’t discriminate.”
“No one gets tuned away, man or woman,” added co-chairman Dick Woods. “We do the cooking, the cleaning and have what we call the Clothing Closet for anyone that needs clothing. Then we have the food pantry and sundries, personal hygiene items along with food.”
The meals aren’t all the homeless individuals receive, he continued. There’s also a bicycle program.
“We have pretty good sources for bicycles that are donated and distributed. We also give out backpacks, and have given out tents in the past,” said Woods. “Whenever you become homeless, you lose a lot of pride, a lot of self-esteem, so providing that hot meal and other items, and meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas, is giving them self-esteem.”
Funds are raised from Saturday lunches, where a faithful crowd from the 650-plus membership come in each week to have lunch to support the program. They said that they also get lodge members giving a $20 bill here and there, and even larger donations, so the program can continue each week.
Committee members start preparing about 7:30 a.m., and then homeless individuals arrive for a hearty luncheon at a spacious outdoor area. Individuals they serve are mainly homeless veterans, who also get other services like the clothing and bicycles. All of these things add up to not only providing a meal, but provide dignity because of a normalcy and improved quality of life all things together provide, said Carie.
They also pick up those who don’t have transportation with their personal vehicles.
“We pick them up at Centennial Park,” said Carie.
“They know to be there at 11:30 a.m., word gets around,” said Woods.
Rick Merillat, a social worker from the Veterans Administration, also comes out on Tuesdays. He makes sure, if they are eligible, the veterans get on a pension program, and if housing is available, they get into that as well.
“This is where the rubber meets the road,” said Alan Stanchi, commander for the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 94 of Lehigh Acres and Fort Myers. “It’s what they do every Tuesday.”
His chapter sponsors one lunch every month.
“We support them, but this committee really does everything,” said Stanchi. “We support them 100 percent, how they reach out to veterans and feed the homeless. We feel that there is not enough out there for the homeless Veterans and there are more and more homeless all the time.”
He said the continual support for these individuals is key.
“They [the committee] are here every Tuesday providing needed services because regular services, government services, don’t provide enough. It’s a sign of the economic times that everything is being cut back,” he said.
Co-chairs Carie and Woods have both been involved with the program for many years; Carie 10 and Woods eight.
Dan Harned, leading Knight, has only been a member of the lodge for three years. He said he was incredibly impressed by the program as soon as he joined the lodge. “
“When I came here, I wanted to be part of the Veterans Committee,” he said. “It’s the one thing we do from the lodge point of view that is probably one of our best showpieces. Because while we do a lot of fund-raising for other charities like those for children, this is the one program you actually see in action, an operation from beginning to end once week. You come and you see the food being prepared made by the volunteers and getting into the hands of those who need it.”
He said what they do is from the heart of the Elks organization.
“If you had to take what the philosophy of the Elks Club is – Elks Care, Elks Share – it’s done here once a week,” he said.
Committee members also take trips several times a year to the Veterans Hospital in St. Petersburg to donate boxes and boxes of clothing gathered in North Fort Myers.
“These guys get in their personal vehicles several times a year, take a four- or five-hour trip, four or five hours out of their day,” said Harned. “I went on one trip with them and we were welcomed with open arms. Our lodge is very proud of this.”
One wall of the main room has scores of commendations for the program. “We’ve been recognized by our senator, congressional honors and others, we have our own Wall of Fame,” said Carie.
“We’ve been recognized by those like Connie Mack, and we have awards from the National Elks organization. We’ve had state and National awards for the last four or five years, some top in the United States for a lodge our size,” side Woods.
“You could look at the program the Elks do here as a model so many other organizations could replicate,” said Stanchi.
Membership support is always slower in the summer season, so donations are always needed for the program. Just keeping pace with the raising costs of food is also a factor.
The Elks Lodge is located at 2163 Twin Brooks Rd. For information, call 731-2867.