Rancho Cordova Elks Lodge #2484 CATCH THE SPIRIT Page

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ELKS PROVIDED CHRISTMAS TO THOUSANDS OF
MILITARY FAMILIES THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA

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	The Rancho Cordova Elks Lodge “Catch The Spirit” Project was established to provide assistance to military families in need throughout the Northern California area. It also provides assistance to families of “At-Risk Youth” in the local community. During the December Christmas holiday season, the project provided “Christmas Baskets” to 1,642 National Guard and U.S. Army, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard families throughout Northern and Central California. The project also provided 100 additional “Baskets” to the Rancho Cordova Police Department to deliver to families of “At-Risk Youth”.
	Each family received a turkey or a ham; three huge boxes filled with crackers, cookies, nuts, juice, soups, fruit, canned goods, stuffing, rice, boxed meals, bread and pastries; a case of Prego spaghetti sauce, and a case of sodas. Overall, 11,494 boxes were delivered, including 400 toys and 40 Christmas trees. Additionally, a complete Christmas dinner was provided to 350 U.S. Army Reserve personnel of the 319^th Signal Battalion and their families. This was a real community effort. Troops and families from the National Guard and Reserve units put in a large amount of off-duty time to pack and assemble the “Baskets” so that others could have a nice Christmas. Other members of the community helping the Elks in the effort were the local California Conservation Corps, the local chapter of the American Red Cross, the Rancho Cordova 4-H Club, the Navy Sea Cadets, the National Guard Explorer Scouts and the Rancho Cordova Police Department.

	Vehicle and air support from the Guard and Reserve Commands, and the generous donations from the various businesses and food suppliers also contributed to the success of the project, along with the donation of warehouse space by Buzz Oates, and an Impact Grant from the Elks National Foundation. The Army Guard and Reserves and the Marine Reserves provided over 50 military vehicles to move the provisions, and the Air National Guard provided a C-130 to deliver “Baskets” to Los Alamedas and San Diego for families of the 40^th Infantry Division.(Article by PER Al Russell, and photo by PER Neil Bodine).

Elks National Foundation Grant Helps Provide Year-Round Assistance to Veterans

An Elks National Foundation Impact Grant of $10,000 awarded to the Rancho Cordova Elks Lodge “Catch The Spirit” Project has assisted the Project to expand from a Christmas-time project to a year-round Project assisting active, Guard and Reserve Military Personnel and their families in Northern California. In addition, Veterans Groups are also provided with support from the project. Over 900 families were provided with Christmas Toy and Food Baskets this last Christmas season. The Project has been busy helping out whenever needed in the Northern California area.

Since January 1, the “Catch The Spirit” Project provided 650 boxes of food and dry goods to 118 National Guard families. These were the families of Guard members who were recently returning to regular active status for active duty and deployment. Money transfers and relocation stressed their finances and placed the families in need of assistance.

The CTS Project also provided 4 pallets of ice cream (1,000 ½ gallons of ice cream) to National Guard and Reserve units for their “Family Day” functions, which is held to support families. It also has provided food/dairy/meat/bread and ice cream products to the Sacramento Veterans Resource Center for Veterans.

A National Guard family whose home had flooded, was also provided with beds and other furniture items. One Hundred cases of food and beverages were also provided to the American Red Cross in Sacramento when Highway 80 was shut down for three days due to a snow storm. Over 25 people, including some Veterans were stranded at the Greyhound Bus Station in Sacramento with no food or drink.

Food and beverages were also provided for a Veterans coalition dinner, as well as provisions for a Barbeque for 100 National Guard members. And it provided twenty new jackets to the Kit Carson Veterans Home in Jackson, California.

The Project has also been instrumental in gaining the association of a Service Dog Training program for Veterans with trauma and loss of limbs. The program will also continue to support others in need and closely work with the VA Hospitals and the American Red Cross.

Recently the Red Cross advised us of an young Veteran who had been injured in Iraq, discharged, and re-injured on a job, and was now wheel-chair bound, out of work, and is caught up in the long wait (usually over a year) for approval of his VA disability status. He and his family are struggling to make ends meet. The CTS project has provided him with food, clothing, furniture and other provisions and has put him in contact with the Service Dog Program.

The CTS project is also providing about 220 gallons of Prego Spaghetti Sauce to each of the eleven Lodges in the District (a $924 value), under the condition that they hold Veterans Appreciation Dinners and provide Veterans with free dinners and report their activities.

For further information on the “Catch The Spirit” Project contact the Rancho Cordova Elks Lodge office at phone number (916) 635-8038 or email elks2484@sbcglobal.net.