Last year the Owego Elks Lodge 1039 donated the equivalent of $198,000 to our community through use of our facility, volunteer hours, and cash donations. This included 4,700 volunteer hours by Elks members and 1,900 additional hours by Elks family and friends at our sponsored events.
This year because of the restrictions imposed by the CoronaVirus Pandemic the Owego Elks Lodge has not been able to provide the support as we normally would. Many of the activities that we fund or provide facilities for have been cancelled. At the same time, we recognize that the continued restrictions and job losses have created a significant impact on the local food banks and we are stepping up and asking the rest of our community to join us to support our local food banks through our Fall Harvest Campaign. We will be collecting cash or food donations for Food Banks in Tioga County and will make a matching donation up to a total of $5000. Donations will be evenly distributed between the Tioga Rural Ministries, the Open Door Mission, and Catholic Charities Food Banks.
Donations will be collected until November 15 and can be mailed to the Owego Elks Lodge 1039, PO Box 6, Owego, NY 13827 or they can be dropped off at the Owego Elks Lodge at 223 Front St. in Owego on Wednesday or Friday night from 5-7 pm or at the Owego Elks Emporium Sunday 15 from 8am – 3pm. A confirmation of gift receipt will be sent if a name and email are included with the donation.
All monies collected will be distributed to the Food Banks along with a matching grant of up to $5,000 from the Owego Elks Lodge 1039.
The Owego Elks Lodge 1039 regularly supports local children’s organizations such as the Boy and Girl Scouts, the Boys and Girls Club, and Camp Ahwaga. The Elks supports children of all ages from dictionaries for 3rd graders, Little League teams, Special Olympics, and Post Prom Chem-free parties. We support the young through community organizations like Big Brothers/Big Sisters, NYS Sheriff Kids Camp, and the Girl’s Youth Leadership program. We are also a resource for other non-profit agencies that use our facilities for free. Groups like the Red Cross, the United Way, the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club, and EMS and Fire Departments throughout the county.
